Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
West Village Man Looking To Start Post-Blackout Support Group
By
Garth Johnston
Published Nov 12, 2012
Modified Nov 12, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Nora Feher
By
Garth Johnston
Published Nov 12, 2012
Modified Nov 12, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
SoPo, never forget. Though some 55,000 New Yorkers are still living without power others are still coming to grips with the time the lights went out in Manhattan. And since groups like the Red Cross aren't setting up support groups for them, they're taking things into their own hands. Like Barry Drogin, who has been suffering from self-diagnosed acute traumatic stress (now post-traumatic stress) since the lights went out.
"I understand people [are] losing their homes," he explained recently when calling into NY1, but that didn't make the stress he was feeling less real. "After 9/11 people created support groups and things. And sometimes just by grouping people together you don't even need a professional there."
Having had trouble finding any good city-based mental health services since the storm, Droginrry has gone and offered to start his own. He just needs a few more people to sign up. In the meantime, he's written up his experiences with the blackout, along with some tips on coping with the power loss. In addition he offers these tips for dealing with someone traumatized by the blackout (tips we've not been 100 percent great at following ourselves in this post):
- Do not tell them that others have it worse, or are still without power. That is cruel.
- Do not laugh at them or run away from them. Listen and be patient.
- Do not conjecture or refer them to resources that you have not personally confirmed are currently available. Offer to research for them.
We've reached out to Drogin to find out how the group is coming along but haven't heard back yet.
Tagged
frankenstorm
hurricane sandy
manhattan
power
sopo
support group
original
Garth Johnston
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Man shot by ICE in NYC still has bullet lodged in neck, attorneys say
Oscar Belgal, a 28-year-old immigrant from the Dominican Republic, was in solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park on Monday.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Oct 12, 2026 at 11:37 a.m. ET
NY measles spread prompts 'disaster' emergency. It didn't have to be this way, health commissioner says.
The state health commissioner says the disease outbreak is wholly preventable.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
News
NY measles spread prompts 'disaster' emergency. It didn't have to be this way, health commissioner says.
The state health commissioner says the disease outbreak is wholly preventable.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
NYC wants to move deliveries onto the waterways. It's starting with a 55-year-old boat.
By
Liam Quigley
Inside the luxury Greenpoint high-rise powered by a rumbling generator for over a month
By
David Brand
Mayor Mamdani orders review of NYPD use of force policies
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .