In Sandy’s aftermath, N.Y.’s UJA federation releasing $10 million in emergency aid

New York Air National Guard Master Sgt. Thomas Moade, left, leads other members of the 174th as well as members of the New York Army Guard in taking water and cases of food to local residents in Staten Island on Nov. 2. Photo by New York Air National Guard/Jeremy M. Call/Reuters

UJA-Federation of Greater New York released $10 million in Hurricane Sandy emergency relief aid to its network agencies and synagogues.

The agency made the funds available on Monday morning; its board of directors had decided unanimously to make the money available in a special session the previous evening.

"The emotional and economic impact, especially on the isolated elderly and the poor, is acute and will remain so for a long time," the agency said in a statement Monday.

UJA-Federation had set up a Hurricane Sandy relief fund shortly after the storm hit on Oct. 29.

The week before Sandy struck the greater New York area, the federation raised a record $45 million at its annual campaign kickoff event.