The nonprofit Red Hook Initiative acted as an anchor for the community in the wake of Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

Alisa Pizarro is a longtime resident of the Red Hook Houses and works at the Red Hook Initiative, a community-based nonprofit started in 2002.

Right after Sandy, the initiative says it shifted from being a youth development agency to focusing on disaster and emergency response. Word spread that the center was open after the storm, and video from after the storm shows that it became a disaster relief site.

A year after Sandy, the initiative implemented a program to empower neighborhood residents so they will know what to do in case of another storm like Sandy. It's called the Local Leaders Program. The initiative says it has to date given emergency response training to more than 200 people in the neighborhood, mostly those from public housing.

The Red Hook Initiative says it and the whole neighborhood will be prepared for when another monstrous storm hits.