InterOc, tweeting out calls for donations and volunteers Amazon Using the wedding registry feature, Occupy Sandy set up a shopping list for needed supplies Instagram Photos tagged #OccupySandy attracted the attention of some who came to volunteer Facebook Posts photos and updates on their public page Websites: OccupySandy.com directs to InterOccupy.net, which aggregates the latest updates Storm relief proved to be an ideal fit for the systems and values Occupy created in 2011. Though the original protests were directed at banks, they also celebrated the notion of the 99% - the idea that the majority of Americans were in it together, and that individuals could band together to help one another.
"Occupy was a movement to empower people against the oppressive force of Wall Street. In this case, it's a movement to empower the individuals who have been disempowered by the storm," says Lembitz.
"It's still about empowering individuals against an aggressor, it's just in this case the aggressor is easier to agree on."
Disaster relief was also was a good fit for the Occupy infrastructure.
"We've spent the past year painstakingly developing this network of people across the country who connect around issues they care about," says Michael Badger, who worked closely with the development of Interoccupy, which sought to connect the various "Occupy" protests around the world.
He says the web tools Occupy developed to facilitate conversation among the groups lent themselves to mobilisation after the hurricane.
"Right when Sandy hit, immediately it wasn't just the New York group that was activated. We have people in Amsterdam, in Los Angeles, in Kalamazoo working on this."
The Interoccupy.net website became a crucial aggregator and broadcasting system for the thousands of pleas for help on social media.
"The movement is extremely adept at using social media to mobilise activity. They've proven themselves with Occupy Wall Street, and it's something we've seen with being able to redirect volunteers in certain areas," says Tricia Wachtendorf, associate director of the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware.
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