People walk along a beach in the heavily damaged Rockaway neighborhood in the Queens borough of New York on Friday, November 16.

cnn.com - by Matt Smith - January 28, 2013

(CNN) -- The Senate approved more than $50 billion in aid to states battered by Superstorm Sandy on Monday, four weeks after a delay that sparked bipartisan fury from Northeastern lawmakers.

The money includes grant funding for owners of homes and businesses, as well as funding for public improvement projects on the electrical grid, hospitals and transit systems to prevent damage from future storms. In a statement from the White House, President Barack Obama said he would sign the measure "as soon as it hits my desk."

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Image: A stretch of Front Street in the South Street Seaport area, a part of Lower Manhattan that continues to suffer from the effects of Hurricane Sandy. (Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times)

nytimes.com - January 21st, 2013

Hurricane Sandy slammed into New York and New Jersey nearly three months ago, and the grueling recovery effort continues with work being done to repair, rebuild and reopen shattered homes and businesses. But the process has been uneven, and there is ample evidence that many people are still struggling in the aftermath of one of the most vicious storms to hit the region. Following are snapshots of how some people and places are faring on the road back.

(VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Video: David Lee Miller reports from Staten Island

Submitted by Samuel Bendett

news.yahoo.com - January 25th, 2013 - Perry Chiaramonte

The brutal cold snap affecting much of the country is taking a devastating toll on victims of superstorm Sandy, many of whom are camped out in tent cities or living in homes without power, heat or running water.

Those unable to get proper lodging have hunkered down in their homes without the basic necessities of heat, electricity, or running water.

“Many families in Union Beach are using space heaters to warm upstairs,” said Jeanette Van Houten, a resident from the small New Jersey town that was among the hardest-hit communities. “There’s people with no heat, no electric, but they are staying in the house because it’s better than having to deal with FEMA and having to leave hotels every two weeks.

Damage in the Rockaway neighborhood in Queens, N.Y., where the historic boardwalk was washed away during Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 31, 2012. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

propublica.org - by Theodoric Meyer - January 18, 2013

When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, Congress passed two relief bills almost unanimously. But when it comes to Hurricane Sandy, some in Congress seem to have had a change of heart.

In total, 58 representatives voted against bills this month similar to ones that they had supported after Katrina.

Here's a breakdown of how each of them voted on the two Katrina bills and the two Sandy ones:

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

March 23, 2006 - Final Report on New York City Emergency Response and Evacuation Plans in the Event of a Weather-Related Emergency (33 page .PDF file)
http://www.greatestchallenge.org/documents/hurricane_report.pdf

September 15, 2005 - Preliminary Report on New York City Emergency Response and Evacuation Plans in the Event of a Weather-Related Emergency (20 page .PDF file)
http://www.monticellonys.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/NYC-OEM-Brodsky-Hurricane-Evacuation-Report-2006-.pdf

“People would stop evacuating simply because they were unable to evacuate.”
-New York City Hurricane Evacuation Behavioral Analysis, April 2005

                                   (CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO VIEW ADDITIONAL PHOTOS)

submitted by Naomi Rothwell - January 9, 2013

Friday, January 4th, 2013. Tonight we delivered cases of much needed drinking water to a refugee camp in Staten Island. The camp is on Cedar Grove Ave in New Dorp, SI. The wrecked homes in the album are the homes owned by the people in the tents. The tents are serving as a refugee camp, and are not at all like the tents we've seen in Rockaway. There are anywhere from 150-300 people using the tents throughout each day, but far fewer that are using them as primary shelter. At night, there are a few dozen living in cars or tents.

Report from:

Dennis Saleeby
Citizen Volunteer
Field Operations Director
NY Resilience System

thinkprogress.org - by Aviva Shen - January 18, 2013

Rep. Peter King (R-NY) did not hesitate to attack his fellow House Republicans after they refused to hold a vote on providing disaster relief funds to states affected by Hurricane Sandy. After public shaming, the House finally passed a bare-bones aid package on January 4.

But King has not forgotten his colleagues who tried to block funds for the devastated regions of New York and New Jersey.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

nydis.org                                          

The Disaster Distress Helpline: 
The Disaster Distress Helpline offers 24/7/365 disaster crisis counseling and support to anyone, anywhere in the US via a toll-free, multi-lingual hotline (1-800-985-5990) and SMS (text ‘TalkWithUs’ to 66746; Spanish-speakers can text ‘Hablanos’ to 66746).  Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

• Call: 800-985-5990
• Text ‘TalkWithUS’ to 66746, Spanish speakers can text ‘Hablanos’ to 66746
   For more information on the Disaster Distress Helpline and disaster distress, coping tips, materials
   and more, please visit http://disasterdistress.samhsa.gov/ or contact Joe Samalin, Outreach and
   Training manager at ***@***.***
   twitter.com/distressline#

CNN iReport - by Doug Kuntz - January 21, 2013

Three days after Congress passes The Sandy Relief Bill, as critical needs continue in the New York area, Third Wave Volunteer Alison Thompson gives a second report from The Rockaways.

As the first sustained cold weather settles into the area, thousands upon thousands remain without heat and electric.

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-913656