Two Months Later, Recovery Efforts Are Still Going Strong in New York

NEW YORK — In the two months since Hurricane Sandy made landfall in New York, recovery moves forward for survivors, businesses and communities.

“New Yorkers have made tremendous progress in their journey toward recovery from Hurricane Sandy,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Michael F. Byrne of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “The efforts of the survivors themselves, combined with those of the whole recovery community, have made all the difference in New York.”  

Below is a snapshot of significant milestones achieved by FEMA, the state of New York and federal partners since the Oct. 30 disaster declaration:

• FEMA and the state have approved more than $816.3 million in disaster assistance for New Yorkers through FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program, which helps eligible applicants with emergency home repairs; uninsured personal property losses; and medical, dental and funeral expenses caused by the disaster. It also helps cover other disaster-related expenses.
• 13 New York counties are designated for both Individual Assistance and Public Assistance. These are Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester. Greene County has been designated for Public Assistance only.
• A total of 258,527 New Yorkers have registered for disaster assistance in the 13 counties designated for Individual Assistance including more than 140,000 who have applied through the online application site at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or on their smartphone at m.fema.gov.

Assistance to residents in the heaviest hit counties includes:

• Bronx                $2.2 million
• Kings                 $177.8 million
• Nassau               $266.3 million
• New York         $12 million
• Queens              $208.6 million
• Richmond         $83.8 million
• Suffolk              $60.6 million
• The U.S. Small Business Administration has approved more than $322 million in disaster loans to homeowners, renters and businesses. The SBA has staff members at every FEMA/State Disaster Recovery Center and 19 Business Recovery Centers in the New York area to provide one-on-one help to business owners seeking disaster assistance.

FEMA PA program reimburses state and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations 75 percent of costs for disaster-related expenses associated with emergency protective measures, debris removal, and the repair and restoration of damaged infrastructure.

• In the two months since Hurricane Sandy made landfall, FEMA Public Assistance has awarded more than $318 million dollars to local governments and eligible nonprofits.
• New York University Langone Medical Center: $149.5 million to reimburse the cost of evacuating patients, performing emergency repairs, cleaning facilities and replacing critical equipment.
• New York Police Department: More than $75.7 million to help pay for uniformed and civilian personnel who patrolled streets, distributed food and water to hurricane survivors and assisted residents in obtaining emergency medical care.
• City of New York Department of Sanitation: More than $46.8 million to reimburse labor and equipment expenditures for the removal of an estimated 1.3 million cubic yards of debris.  
• City of Long Beach: More than $24.3 million for expenses incurred collecting and clearing more than 700,000 cubic yards of debris scattered across the city.
• Nassau County: More than $18 million for costs associated with debris removal and disposal throughout the county.
• Nassau County: More than $2.8 million to help pay for the implementation of the Sheltering and Temporary Essential Power (STEP) Program.
• Suffolk County: More than $1.1 million for costs associated with STEP.
• More than 258,000 New Yorkers have contacted FEMA for information or registered for assistance.
• FEMA housing inspectors have completed 167,107 home inspections, an important first step in determining eligibility for housing assistance.
• Nearly 1,300 Community Relations specialists who responded to Hurricane Sandy have met face-to-face with more than 88,000 survivors at homes, schools, and community- and faith-based organizations. The CR teams visited counties designated for Individual Assistance, providing information, and answering survivors’ questions in neighborhoods, at Disaster Recovery Centers, and at points of distribution and shelters early in the response. They also reported critical issues in real-time for immediate action. 
• Workers who have lost their jobs or those who are self-employed and unable to provide their services because of Hurricane Sandy have received $1,755,266 in Disaster Unemployment Assistance.
• 22 Disaster Recovery Centers are open in the affected areas. These include mobile sites as well as fixed sites, and to date more than 110,000 survivors have been assisted at Disaster Recovery Centers in New York.
• FEMA Mitigation specialists have provided advice and tips on how to repair and rebuild safer and stronger homes to 18,900 New Yorkers at recovery centers and home improvement stores.
• FEMA specialists numbering 4,931 deployed from around the United States to help New York respond to and recover from Hurricane Sandy. FEMA teams continue to work with whole community partners to advance the recovery effort and mitigate against future hazards.
• Nearly 900 National Service Members (AmeriCorps, FEMA Corps, and Senior Corps) have responded to communities impacted by Hurricane Sandy.  Areas of operation include: shelter operations, mass care, needs assessments, call centers, debris removal, and management of spontaneous volunteers.
• More than 500 national and state voluntary organizations; local community and faith-based organizations have called upon their volunteers, to provide help to Sandy survivors in a range of programs and services. A number of the agencies will be part of the long-term recovery effort, working to meet the needs of hurricane survivors that go beyond state and federal assistance dollars.
• More than 200 FEMA Corps young adults joined the Hurricane Sandy response under their assignment with the new program. Aimed at enhancing the nation’s ability to assist disaster survivors while expanding career opportunities for young people, FEMA Corps is a unique partnership between FEMA and the Corporation for National and Community Service and AmeriCorps.

Individuals can register with FEMA online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or via smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov.  Applicants may also call 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585.

Applicants who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services (VRS) can call 800-621-3362.

The toll-free telephone numbers are operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, until further notice.

Editor: A related story can be located at: http://www.fema.gov/updates/two-months-later-strong-recovery-effort-new-york

For more information on New York’s disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4085,http://twitter.com/FEMASandy, www.facebook.com/FEMASandy and www.fema.gov/blog