Care for Evacuees, Disaster Personnel

Fifteen nursing home residents from Far Rockaway, Queens, have found a temporary respite from the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy at Methodist-affiliated Bethel Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, in Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y. Fifteen separate ambulances transported the residents from the Resort Nursing Home along with 30 disaster response personnel, who were called in from as far away as Michigan, North Carolina and Alabama to help in the evacuation.

The evacuees were placed at Bethel as part of the mandatory evacuation of Zone A, the low-lying areas of New York City. The Resort at 430 Beach 68th Street is not far from the Far Rockaway waterfront where Sandy caused damaging floods and devastation.

Janet Levine, administrator of BNRC, received a call from Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) asking if Bethel could accommodate some of the Resort’s residents. “I told them that, of course, we would do whatever was necessary to make room for their evacuees. We wanted to help in any way we could,” she said.

After the ambulances arrived and the residents were settled in, it became apparent that the disaster response personnel were also in need of some attention. They had been working non-stop on evacuations since the initial order by Bloomberg. So Bethel provided the teams with some much-appreciated hot meals and showers.

The Springvale Inn, Bethel’s Assisted Living Senior Residence in Croton, also opened its doors to six residents in the community seeking respite care in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

This is not the first time Bethel has responded to a request from the OEM to provide care and shelter for evacuees. Last year during Hurricane Irene, the Westchester County facility accommodated residents from the Shore View Nursing Home in Brighton Beach, also located in Zone A and subject to a mandatory evacuation.


Like what you're reading? Support the ministry of UM News! Your support ensures the latest denominational news, dynamic stories and informative articles will continue to connect our global community. Make a tax-deductible donation at ResourceUMC.org/GiveUMCom.

Sign up for our newsletter!

Subscribe Now
Disaster Relief
On a muddy street in the Ngaliema district of Kinshasa, residents attempt to salvage some belongings after floods destroyed homes and businesses in their neighborhood following torrential rains on June 14. Four United Methodists were among the nearly 30 people who lost their lives in the floods. Photo by the Rev. Fiston Okito, UM News.

4 United Methodists killed in Congo floods

The floods in Kinshasa look the lives of 29 people, including four church members, and washed away the homes of about 50 United Methodist families.
Local Church
Hannah Buchanan. Photo courtesy of the author.

United Methodist pastor: I believe Jesus weeps with us

Hannah Buchanan, a pastor at Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, writes about grief and serving in a community that has been “shaken to its core” by deadly flooding.
Faith Stories
Ophelia Hu Kinney. Photo courtesy of the author.

Affirmation at last: Remembering the Rev. Dr. Rick Huskey

The physician and justice advocate mobilized the pain of exclusion to blaze a trail for LGBTQ United Methodists.

United Methodist Communications is an agency of The United Methodist Church

©2025 United Methodist Communications. All Rights Reserved