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.

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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?

submitted by Mike Taylor

Niederhoffer Foundation/MJE Sandy Relief - by Laura Egan - November 28, 2012

• 229,526 households applied for FEMA Assistance.
• 80,000 households eligible for FEMA temporary relocation assistance/extended hotel stay.
• 800 homes currently in the program from the Rockaways, about 2500 total.
• 6,000 homes on waiting list for NYC Rapid Repairs program.
• 12,000 LIPA meters still without power in the Rockaways = 12,000 families
• 6000 homes and 600 apartment buildings estimated still without power in NYC according to a different source (both current).
• 130,000 – total population of Rockaway Peninsula.
• 2,837 – number of homes in Breezy Point severely damaged by flooding. 111 completely burned.
• 1,800 – number of rooms on the average cruise ship (during Katrina, 3 vessels obtained for 6mth pd).
• 10% - average FEMA % of families that ‘fall between the cracks’ in the system.
• 57 – number of damaged substations that needed to be repaired by LIPA (4 were in the Rockaways)
• $664M – FEMA current spending on Sandy victims ( divide by applicants = $3K per home)

(Please see attachments below for printed materials) 

Mold & Mildew

Cleaning Up Your Flood-Damaged Home

FEMA 606/July 2007

The Problem With Mold

Mildew and molds are fungi - simple microscopic organisms that thrive anywhere there is a moist environment. Molds are a necessary part of the environment; without them, leaves would not decay and aspects of soil enrichment could not take place. It is their ability to destroy organic materials that makes mold a problem for people.

Mildew (mold in its early stages) and molds grow on wood products, ceiling tiles, cardboard, wallpaper, carpets, drywall, fabric, plants, foods, insulation, decaying leaves and other organic materials. Mold colonies can start to grow on a damp surface within 24 to 48 hours. They reproduce via spores - tiny, lightweight ìseedsî- that travel through the air. Molds digest organic material, eventually destroying the material they grow on, and then spread to destroy adjacent organic material. In addition to the damage molds can cause in your home, they can also cause mild to severe health problems. See the Health Problems From Mold section to check for possible mold related health problems.