A man stands on the debris of homes devastated by fire and the effects of Hurricane Sandy in the Breezy Point section of the Queens borough in New York January 15, 2013.  Credit: Reuters/Shannon Stapleton

CNN - by Deirdre Walsh and Kevin Liptak - January 15, 2013

Washington (CNN) - Lawmakers in the House of Representatives approved measures Tuesday to send more than $50 billion in aid to the Northeastern states ravaged by Superstorm Sandy last fall, though some conservatives in the House were pushing for spending cuts that would offset the cost of the recovery package.

The final bill passed 241-180, with 49 Republicans voting against it. The package now heads to the Senate.

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Also see related information - Vote on Sandy Disaster Aid and Amendments, and other articles below:

House passes $50.5 billion in Sandy aid, Republicans trim items
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/16/us-storm-sandy-relief-passage-idUSBRE90F01420130116

Calling all snowbirds! Tell all your friends in South Florida that they should head to Deck 84 in Delray Beach this Sunday, Jan 20th, for a great time and a great cause ...

Flu shots are a hot commodity in New York City.  Kristian Sekulic/Getty Images

Some area pharmacies and urgent care facilities were already out of flu shots Sunday, a day after Gov. Cuomo declared this influenza season a statewide public health emergency

nydailynews.com - by Erin Durkin and Edgar Sandoval - January 13, 2013

A rush on flu shots sparked by Gov. Cuomo’s health emergency declaration has left some city pharmacies and urgent care facilities empty handed.

“We ran out,” said Dr. Mark Melrose, an emergency physician and owner of Urgent Care Manhattan on Amsterdam Ave. on the upper West Side.

Melrose said his supply went dry Saturday after doling out 10 times the normal number of flu shots to victims of the coughing—sneezing-head-feverish epidemic sweeping the nation.

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Mary Ann Werner from New York is given a flu shot by Medical Assistant Klarisa Feliciano at the medical offices of Yaffe Ruden & Associates  in New York on Jan. 10, 2013.  TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images

State is experiencing worst flu season since at least 2009, Cuomo says

nydailynews.com - by Denis Slattery and Dareh Gregorian - January 12, 2013

This flu season is nothing to sneeze at.

Gov. Cuomo declared a statewide public health emergency Saturday to combat what’s already been a severe flu season.

The declaration will make it easier for vaccinations to get to more children.

“We are experiencing the worst flu season since at least 2009, and influenza activity in New York State is widespread, with cases reported in all 57 counties and all five boroughs of New York City,” Cuomo said.

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With Aid Set to Expire this Sunday, FEMA Provides Two-Week Extension for 2,400 New York Families Still Living in Hotels and Motels

gillibrand.senate.gov - January 11, 2013

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) today announced that FEMA granted a two-week extension that allows an estimated 2,400 New York residents displaced from Superstorm Sandy to temporarily live in hotels and motels through January 27, 2013. With an upcoming deadline looming for displaced residents who would have been forced to leave their temporary shelters this Sunday, Senator Gillibrand pressed FEMA Administrator Fugate earlier this week to extend their stay as they continue to rebuild in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

“This reprieve for New Yorkers displaced by the storm by FEMA is critically needed” said Senator Gillibrand. “We must ensure that families whose lives and homes have been uprooted by this unprecedented disaster have the emergency help and shelter they need to begin to rebuild. Congress must now fulfill its obligation and pass a fully funded disaster relief package to provide families and small businesses throughout the Northeast region the long term help required to rebuild.”

submitted by Gary Vroegindewey

http://uwua1-2.org/

NYC Rapid Repairs is a program to make your home safe for return. The City is working with contractors to assess damage to your home from Hurricane Sandy and make the necessary repairs so that you and your family can have safe power and heat in your home. NYC Rapid Repairs is a program for property owners in the five boroughs. If you rent your home and there are unsafe conditions, call 311.

To be eligible for this program, your home must be deemed structurally safe by the NYC Department of Buildings as denoted by a Yellow or Green placard on your door, or no placard at all. You can still sign up for NYC Rapid Repairs if there is a Red placard on your door, but additional repairs will be necessary before your home is deemed structurally safe. If you have any questions about what you need to do to transition your home from a Red to a Yellow or Green placard, call 311.

NYC Rapid Repairs (page 1 of 5 .PDF pages)
http://uwua1-2.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/CLICK-HERE-to-read-some-helpful-repairs-information.pdf

ABC News - November 30, 2012

Angry crowd packs town hall meeting, upset over lack of help after the storm.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/sandy-recovery-staten-island-residents-frustrated-17848169

Hard-Hit Residents Say They Just Want To Know When They Can Rebuild

CBS News - November 29, 2012

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Buried under a mountain of debt and debris, one month to the day after Sandy, storm survivors are struggling to adjust to a new reality.

Residents are still trying to figure out where to live and if they can rebuild. Their frustrations were felt Thursday night on Staten Island at a meeting so packed many people had to be turned away.

Hundreds of victims jammed the auditorium at New Dorp High School beyond capacity, forcing hundreds of others into a hallway, fueling frustrations, CBS 2′s Emily Smith reported.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

submitted by Dennis Saleeby

by Jim Hoffer - November 30, 2012

NEW YORK (WABC) -- FEMA has been struggling to find housing for thousands of people who can't live in their homes damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

Sources say the government is now looking at using some type of vessels for temporary housing in coastal areas where so many homes were destroyed.

Anger over a lack of temporary housing for storm victims appears to be growing.

submitted by Melissa Berman

by Jim Hoffer - November 29, 2012

GERRITSEN BEACH (WABC) -- There are serious, new questions about relief operations stemming from Hurricane Sandy.

FEMA is spending hundreds of millions of your tax dollars to buy trailers to provide emergency housing in case of disasters.

But with thousands of houses either destroyed or badly damaged by Sandy, why haven't those trailers been brought to our area?