Hurricane Sandy Update from Mayor Bloomberg---Announcing NYC Rapid Repairs

NYC Rapid Repairs:

·         This new and unprecedented program will send teams of contractors and City inspectors into neighborhoods impacted by Hurricane Sandy and quickly and efficiently make necessary repairs to damaged homes.

·         We are bringing in contractors who will be given responsibility for specific geographic areas hard hit by Sandy.

·         These contractors will be responsible for repairing the homes of anyone who wants to take part in NYC Rapid Repairs.

·         Under the typical FEMA process, it is up to the homeowner to arrange for repair work and carry it out, but this new system will make repairs happen more quickly and efficiently.

·         Beginning Tuesday 11/13, homeowners will be able sign up for NYC Rapid Repairs by going to NYC.gov or by calling 311.

·         They will need a FEMA ID number, which they can get by registering at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362.

·         The NYC Rapid Repairs teams will work closely with City agencies, including the Department of Buildings and Department of Housing Preservation and Development, to make sure that any necessary inspections and certifications are done as quickly as possible.

·         President Obama, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, and FEMA Director Craig Fugate all deserve credit for their collaboration in making this program a reality.

·         If they so choose, homeowners still have the option of having repairs made through their insurance company or with a standard reimbursement from FEMA.  If they choose NYC Rapid Repairs, we will handle getting the contractors in and getting the work done.

·         NYC Rapid Repairs will be managed by Kathryn Mallon, who currently runs the $14 billion capital program at the Department of Environmental Protection. 

·         Homes eligible for NYC Rapid Repairs will be those who have received a green placard from the Department of Buildings, indicating that the home is structurally sound.

Information for LIPA Customers About Restoring Power:

·         This flyer from LIPA, the NYC Department of Buildings, and the Office of Emergency Management contains information on the process for a customer to restore power to their home: http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/pdf/2012/lipa_restoring_your_electrical_service.pdf

·         A similar flyer for Con Ed customers is forthcoming.

Rockaway Ferry:

·         The Mayor announced a partnership to provide ferry service between the Rockaways and Manhattan while subway service on that route is suspended.

·         Seastreak will operate the ferry service beginning Monday, November 12.

·         Ferries will depart from Beach 108th Street and Beach Channel Drive, where the Economic Development Corporation has installed a temporary landing, and stop at Pier 11 in Lower Manhattan with free transfers between Pier 11 and East 34th Street in Midtown.

·         The service will start at 5:45 AM in the Rockaways with ferries departing for Manhattan regularly until 9:20 AM, with regular service resuming during the evening rush.   Each trip should take about 40-45 minutes.

·         One-way fares will be $2.

·         Further details and schedules can be found here: http://www.nycedc.com/blog-entry/new-rockaway-ferry-service

Odd-Even Gasoline Purchasing System:

·         Mayor Bloomberg has established an odd-even license plate system for gasoline purchases to reduce wait times and lines at gas stations. The temporary system will remain in effect until further notice and will operate as follows:

o   Vehicles with license plates ending in an even number or the number “0” purchase fuel on even numbered days.

o   Vehicles with license plates ending in an odd number purchase fuel on odd numbered days.

o   Vehicles with licenses plates ending in letters will be deemed as odd numbered plates and can make purchases on odd numbered days.

o   Commercial vehicles, emergency vehicles, buses and paratransit vehicles, Medical Doctor (MD) plates and vehicles licensed by the Taxi and limousine Commission are exempt.

·         The use of legal walk-up fuel containers by individuals is not affected by the executive order.

·         As they have been since the storm, NYPD officers will be deployed to maintain order at stations.

Door to Door Medical Care in Brooklyn and Queens:

·         Beginning this morning, medical teams have been deployed to high rise residential buildings in Coney Island and Far Rockaway to:

o   Make sure the medical needs of residents are being attended to

o   Conduct a medical assessment to ensure that residents are safe

o   Connect residents with prescription medications.

·         The teams assess the wellbeing of residents who have not been able to leave their apartments and who may have been without water, electricity and heat.

o   If the paramedic determines that a resident has immediate acute medical needs, the resident will be taken to a field clinic or a hospital for additional care.

·         These teams are dispatched in ambulances and consist of a paramedic, Health Department staff, and a member of the National Guard.

·         The New York City Health Department is coordinating the effort with the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Guard.

·         This outreach will run from 8am to 8pm starting Friday and runs through Monday.

·         The City is requesting that building management and landlords in Far Rockaway and Coney Island make their sites available from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm through Monday so that the teams can access residents in the buildings.

o   If the building management cannot have someone at the building at these times, they are asked to please call the Health Department at 917-231-6066 or email highrisebuilding@health.nyc.gov to provide a contact name and number so they can be called to let the team into the building.

Temporary Guidelines to Speed Heating Oil Deliveries and Boiler Repairs:

·         As a result of Hurricane Sandy, sufficient quantities of the low heating sulfur oil required by New York City law have been harder to obtain and distribute.

·         To ensure that New Yorkers have access to heating fuel, the City has temporarily suspended the sulfur limits, which will allow the use of oils with higher sulfur content through December 7th.

·         The City also has streamlined emergency work permits for boiler repairs and replacements to reduce the application timeline by as much as two weeks.

Parks, Beaches, and Playgrounds:

·         We reopened a majority of parks and playgrounds today. 

·         We expect many more will be open over the weekend, though some may remain closed because of tree work.

·         All beaches, which have experienced a great deal of erosion over these two storms, will be closed.

·         Details on park closures can be found at: nyc.gov/parks

24-Hour Debris Cleanup:

·         The Department of Sanitation is deploying teams around the clock to clear debris from the storm, with teams running 12-hour shifts since the storm ended.

·         To date they have removed nearly 250,000 tons of debris.

·         The Department of Sanitation has committed 728 pieces of equipment to debris removal, including 270 trucks, 234 mechanical booms, 114 front end loaders, and 110 cut down dump trucks.

·         We have reduced garbage collection in areas largely unaffected by the storm to allow us to move even more resources to neighborhoods that most need it.

·         The General Contractors Association has helped us marshal private contractors, and the Army Corps of Engineers has partnered with us.

·         Until further notice curbside recycling is suspended.

Trees and Debris:

25,105 tree service requests have been made (alerting us of downed trees or branches).

Of these requests, 15,059 were for downed trees.

8,015 of these emergency tree conditions have been addressed.

This is already more than twice as much tree and limb clearing as we had to do for all of Hurricane Irene last year.

Food, Water & Blanket Distribution Sites:

·         From Thursday, November 1 through Thursday, November 7 we have distributed:

o   More than 1.8 million meals

o   Nearly 454,000 bottles of water

o   127,000 blankets

o   1,248 cases of diapers

o   183 cases of baby wipes

o   670 cases of baby formula

o   8,500 units of new underwear (kids and adults)

o   3,840 thermal blankets

o   1,552 winter hats

o   389 scarves

o   2,586 socks

o   8,550 blankets

o   4,000 hand-warmers

o   6,252 D batteries

o   9,972 C batteries

o   335 cases of garbage bags

o   3,399 flashlights/lanterns

o   476 cases of toilet paper

o   837 cases of bleach

o   20,000 cases of Ziploc bags

o   6,000 masks

o   10,000 boxes of cleaning wipes

o   1,500 work gloves

o   878 bars of soap

o   140 cases of toothbrushes

o   750 units of toothpaste

o   584 bath towels

·         We have distributed 1,500 electric space heaters to people in Broad Channel and the Rockaways who have had their power restored but do not yet have heat in their homes.