NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. /New York Netwire/ — Tuesday evening, New York Mayor Bloomberg updated media and the public on the current state of city efforts related to recovery and repairs post Superstorm Sandy. The Following is an Update of City Government’s Storm Response as of 5 p.n. EST on Tuesday, November 20, 2012.
Staten Island Ferry Service
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan today announced a request for bids from New York-area ferry service operators for a new, temporary service from Staten Island to Manhattan.
The service is expected to begin by November 26 and will run for eight weeks as storm recovery work continues.
Ferries will depart the newly-constructed landing at Great Kills between 6:00 and 9:00 AM for Pier 11 at Wall Street, and continue to 35th Street.
Ferries will return to Staten Island between 12:00 Noon and 6:15 PM.
One-way fare will be $2.00
School Days Added to Make Up for Time Lost Due to Hurricane Sandy
The City, Council of School Supervisors and Administrators and United Federation of Teachers reached an agreement to make up school days lost because of Hurricane Sandy:
School will be open the last three days of scheduled winter break, February 20 – 22, 2013.
The half-day scheduled for June 4 will now become a full day of class.
The City continues to make progress on reopening schools damaged by the storm:
5,400 students returned to their original school buildings on Monday.
More than 26,000 students from 47 schools are back in their regular buildings.
7,800 students from 18 schools remain at their reassigned sites due to ongoing repair work.
Door-to-Door Canvass
The City coordinated a massive relief effort through NYC Service, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and nonprofits and also organized medical teams that:
Canvassed high-rise apartments in the Rockaways, Coney Island and Red Hook
Provided food, water and medical assessments with prescriptions
Evacuated 44 people for medical reasons.
The Department of Housing Preservation and Development is also contacting building owners in affected areas to ask if services have been restored and if they can check on their residents in buildings where power and heat are still unavailable, Visiting Nurse Services is following up with tenant outreach. More than 65,000 residents have been contacted through this process.
Mobile Medical Vans with Prescription Services
The City has deployed vans staffed with primary care providers who will be able to provide medical care and distribute commonly prescribed drugs at several locations in the Rockaways, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. Volunteers are also going door-to-door to reach people who may have medical needs but remain in their homes without heat and power. The location and hours are available here: http://www.nyc.gov/html/misc/html/2012/medical_vans.html.
Extension of the Odd-Even Gasoline Purchasing System
Mayor Bloomberg extended the emergency order establishing an odd-even license plate system for gasoline purchases. It will remain in effect until and including Friday, November 23, and operates as follows:
Vehicles with license plates ending in an even number or ‘zero’ purchase fuel on even numbered days.
Vehicles with license plates ending in an odd number purchase fuel on odd numbered days.
Vehicles with licenses plates ending in letters will be deemed as odd numbered plates and can make purchases on odd numbered days.
Commercial vehicles, emergency vehicles, buses and paratransit vehicles, Medical Doctor (MD) plates and vehicles licensed by the Taxi and limousine Commission are exempt.
Food, Water & Supply Distribution at City-Run Resource Sites
The City has opened food and water distribution sites in the hardest hit areas and are staffed by City employees, volunteers, the Salvation Army and National Guard. Locations and hours: http://www.nyc.gov/html/misc/html/2012/foodandwater.html.
From Thursday, November 1 through Monday, November 19, the following have been distributed:
Approximately 2,062,306 meals
More than 685,400 bottles of water
More than 170,856 blankets
6,871 cases of baby formula, diapers and wipes
8,788 packs of new underwear (kids and adults)
1,552 winter hats
3,000 winter gloves
3,863 socks
4,000 hand-warmers
10,758 D batteries
15,830 C batteries
1,496 AA batteries
507 cases of garbage bags
3,435 flashlights/lanterns
759 cases of toilet paper
2,301 cases of bleach and other cleaning materials
800 mop and construction buckets
600 dustpans
20,000 cases of Ziploc bags
6,000 masks
10,000 boxes of cleaning wipes
1,500 work gloves
928 cases of soap and hand sanitizer
403 cases of fruit and apple sauce
1,325 cases of dried food and canned food
560 cases of Gatorade and juice
Partnership with Local Food Trucks
The Mayors Fund to Advance New York City partnered with the NYC Food Truck Association and local food trucks to coordinate hot food distribution in areas severely impacted by Hurricane Sandy in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.
Since the start of the partnership, the food trucks have served or donated 178,638 meals. The locations and hours are available here: http://www.nyc.gov/html/misc/html/2012/hot_food.html.
Power Customers Out
Total Con Ed customers without power: 2,151
Total LIPA customers without power: 13,015
Trees and Debris
Tree service requests from both Hurricane Sandy and the nor’easter total 26,011, and 15,432 of those were for trees down.
The City has addressed 17,657 of these emergency tree conditions and crews continue to work around the clock to address conditions.
Sanitation 24-Hour Debris Cleanup Continues
Mayor Bloomberg directed the Department of Sanitation to adjust collections schedule so that 24-hour cleanup could continue in the hard-hit areas of Staten Island, Queens and Brooklyn.
Sanitation crews have collected more than 271,073 tons of trash, debris and tree as a part of storm cleanup operations. They has continued work throughout the weekend to clean up backlogged recycling and refuse left at curbside from redeployment to emergency storm debris cleanup
NYCHA Facilities
Heat and hot water have been restored to all buildings impacted by Hurricane Sandy.
Power has been restored to all NYCHA residential buildings impacted by Hurricane Sandy.
New NYC Restoration Centers
Mayor Bloomberg launched NYC Restore to connect New Yorkers affected by Hurricane Sandy with the financial, health, environmental and residential services they need – as well as FEMA reimbursement.
NYC Restoration Centers open earlier this week from 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM in Far Rockaway, Gravesend, Coney Island, Red Hook, Breezy Point and Staten Island.
Additional NYC Restoration Centers opened in Throggs Neck and Arverne earlier today.
Human Resources Administration staff will provide information on Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and temporary cash assistance.
Department of Small Business Services will provide information on loans and reimbursements to small businesses.
The Departments of Health, Consumer Affairs, Housing Preservation and Development and Aging as well as the Administration for Children Services are also on site.
The Department of Consumer Affairs Office of Financial Empowerment offers financial counseling, including filing insurance claims, personal debt counseling, and financial guidance on housing recovery.
Tomorrow, Con Ed will have representatives at the Gravesend, Red Hook and Staten Island restoration centers, and National Grid representatives will also be available at the Arverne center.
The Department of Youth and Community Development will provide information about
More information is available at nyc.gov.
Alternate Side Parking
Alternate side parking regulations are suspended indefinitely in the neighborhoods impacted by Hurricane Sandy. They include:
Queens Community Board 14: Broad Channel, Breezy Point, Belle Harbor, Neponsit, Bayswater, Edgemere, Rockaway Park, Rockaway and Far Rockaway, and is delimited by Jamaica Bay to the north, the Nassau County line to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. Note that as Staten Island does not have ASP, that borough is not affected by the reinstatement of regulations in the remainder of the city.
Portion of Brooklyn Community Board 6: west of and including Hamilton Avenue, covering the neighborhood of Red Hook. The area is delimited by the East River, Upper New York Bay, Gowanus Creek and Hamilton Avenue.
Brooklyn Community Board 13: Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Gravesend and Sea Gate, and is delimited by Gravesend Bay on the west, 26th Avenue, 86th Street and Avenue Y on the north, Coney Island Avenue and Corbin Place on the east, and Lower New York Bay on the south (indicating that the west side of Corbin Place will be exempt from ASP regulations, while the east side will not, for example).
Brooklyn Community Board 15: Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Kings Bay, Gerritsen Beach, Kings Highway, East Gravesend, Madison, Homecrest and Plum Beach, and is delimited by Corbin Place, Coney Island Avenue, Avenue Y, 86th street, Avenue U and MacDonald Avenue, Avenue P and Kings Highway on the north, Nostrand Avenue and Marine Park on the east, as well as by the Atlantic Ocean on the south.
Brooklyn Community Board 18: Canarsie, Bergen Beach, Mill Basin, Flatlands, Marine Park, Georgetown and Mill Island and is delimited by Nostrand Avenue on the west, the Long Island Rail Road viaduct on the north, Van Sinderen Avenue and Louisiana Avenue on the east and Short Parkways on the south.
NYC Rapid Repairs
Mayor Bloomberg announced NYC Rapid Repairs, a new program to send teams of contractors and City inspectors to areas impacted by Hurricane Sandy:
Under unprecedented partnership with FEMA, City will coordinate all repair work
Crews work to quickly and efficiently repair damaged homes
Homeowners can sign up on nyc.gov or 311 to secure; they must also register for a FEMA ID number from disasterassistance.gov or 1-800-621-3362
Approximately 5,000 people have signed up for the program.
$500 Million for Major Repair Work
Mayor Bloomberg, Speaker Quinn and Comptroller Liu announced a $500 million emergency capital spending plan to make critical repairs to public schools and public hospitals damaged by Hurricane Sandy.
The City already has authorized $134 million in spending following Hurricane Sandy to provide emergency services and recovery and relief programs. Those expenses include:
$20 million for the Department of Transportation to repair the Battery Park Overpass
$1.7 million for the Department of Transportation to repair the Whitehall and St. George ferry terminals
$12 million for the Department of Sanitation Office of Emergency Management to remove debris
$2.5 million to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services and Human Resource Administration for food and water distribution.
$2 million to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services for the delivery of maintenance, repair and operations supplies for response operations
$5 million for electrical plumbing and water line inspections for homes in Staten Island and Queens
$1.1 million to the Office of Emergency Management for additional ambulances
Department of Buildings Application & Fee Waiver
As part of the City’s ongoing recovery and assistance operations to help New Yorkers affected by Hurricane Sandy, Mayor Bloomberg signed an emergency order to waive application and permit fees for Hurricane Sandy repair work until further notice.
Buildings with significant structural damage in need of demolition, alterations or reconstruction will have all their repair work fees waived.
In addition, all fees for electrical and plumbing repair work will be waived until further notice for any building damaged by the storm.
City Expedites Licensing for Home Improvement Contractors
The City is expediting additional Home Improvement Contractor licenses to encourage unlicensed contractors or those working out of New York City to come work on damaged property.
The Department of Consumer Affairs will expedite fingerprinting and applications so that licenses are issued in two days.
Home improvement contractors can begin the license application online or in-person at the Consumer Affairs Licensing Center (42 Broadway, 5th Floor).
There are currently 13,200 licensed home improvement contractors in New York City.
City encourages DCA-licensed contractors interested in subcontracting as part of NYC Rapid Repairs to register at bteany.com/rapidrepairs.
New Yorkers should review tips about hiring contractors at nyc.gov/homeimprovement.
Expanded Staten Island Bus Service
The City has expanded bus service for the X23 and X24 lines in Staten Island to meet rising demands as a result of the storm.
Atlantic Express will operate one additional bus on the X23 route and one additional bus on the X24 route.
Each additional bus will make four trips, for a total of eight additional trips per day.
The Economic Development Corporation worked with Atlantic Express Bus to begin operating temporary additional express bus service.
Rockaway Ferry Service
Seastreak ferry service is now running between the Rockaways and Manhattan. Ferries depart from Beach 108th Street and Beach Channel Drive and stop at Pier 11 in Lower Manhattan. There are free transfer between Pier 11 and East 34th Street in Midtown. One-way fares will cost $2.00.
The Economic Development Corporation installed a temporary landing in the Rockaways to accommodate the temporary ferry service.
Free Parking for Rockaway Ferry Service
Free parking is available for those in the Rockaways taking the new ferry service to Manhattan. The parking lot, which was secured thanks to the assistance of National Grid, is across Beach Channel Drive from the new Rockaway ferry landing.
Support to Businesses
The City’s Department of Small Business Services and Economic Development Corporation have put together a package of support for NYC businesses impacted by the storm:
Emergency low-interest loans of up to $25,000 for businesses that have been interrupted and suffered damage as a result of the storm. Applications are available at any of the City’s NYC Business Solutions Centers, by calling 311 and asking for “NYC Business Emergency Loan,” or by visiting on.nyc.gov/contactnycbiz.
For businesses facing significant rebuilding costs, the City will provide sales tax exemptions of up to $100,000 on purchases of materials, equipment and related services needed to rebuild. Learn more here: nycedc.com/backtobusiness
For displaced businesses, the City has identified more than 170,000 square feet that will be made available free of charge, including 40,000 square feet of City space at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, and more than 125,000 square feet of space that private landlords have made available, across the five boroughs. A full listing of commercial spaces and other resources is available at nycedc.com/donations.
Information on disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration is available at any of the City’s NYC Business Solutions Centers, by calling 800-659-2955, or by visiting sba.gov/disaster.
Alliance for Coney Island-a nonprofit organization formed, with the help of the City, to continue the transformation of Coney Island into a year-round, world-class recreational oceanfront destination-launched ConeyRecovers.org, a multipronged relief and recovery effort to help Coney Island residents and businesses dealing with the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The Alliance is comprised of all major Coney businesses, and the City has provided them with $630,000 in funding originally allocated to the Coney Island Development Corporation which will wind down operations.
Shelter for Those without Heat
Evacuation shelters remain open and as of Monday morning, they were 286 evacuees and 71 staff.
A list of evacuation shelters is available online: http://www.nyc.gov/html/misc/html/2012/hurricane_shelters.html.
The City also has opened daytime-only warming centers at senior centers in every borough: http://www.nyc.gov/html/misc/html/2012/warming_ctr.html.
Those who are using generators in their homes to run their heat should be very careful to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning by never using portable generators indoors, in garages or near open windows.
Early signs of hypothermia include uncontrollable shivering, confusion or sleepiness, slowed or slurred speech, stiffness in arms and legs, poor control over body movements and slow reaction.
Community Recovery Directors Assist with Immediate Needs in Impacted Areas
Mayor Bloomberg appointed senior level New York City managers this week to identify urgent needs, stay in close contact with the community leader and deploy resources to meet needs. The City’s Community Recover Directors are:
Haeda Mihaltses, Staten Island
Matt Mahoney, Manhattan and the Bronx
Nazli Parvizi, Brooklyn
Diahann Billings-Burford, Queens
Brad Gair Appointed Director of Housing Recovery Operations
The Mayor appointed Brad Gair, one of the nation’s top emergency management professionals, to lead the effort to address challenge of providing longer-term housing for New Yorkers displaced from their homes by Hurricane Sandy. Many buildings that were flooded are going to be out of commission for a long time because of damage to boilers and electrical systems. This includes public housing, as well as private apartments and houses.
Air BNB Temporary Housing
Air BNB, an on-line service that connects people seeking temporary housing with those who have unused space, has launched a new platform to link New Yorkers displaced by Hurricane Sandy to New Yorkers who want to offer free places to stay. Air BNB is providing with service at no fee, and information is available at airbnb.com/sandy.
Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund
To date, more than 14,400 donors from around the country have contributed more than $40 million to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City in support of Hurricane Sandy relief.
Cash donations to support these and other efforts can be made through the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. Learn more here: nyc.gov/fund
Cash donations are preferable to in-kind donations because the logistics of collecting and distributing those supplies are complex.
Anyone wishing to make cash contributions can go to nyc.gov or call 311 for details.
