Image courtesy of Charlie Walker on Flickr.
Hurricane Sandy may be old news for those unaffected by the storm, but it is still at the forefront of attention for many federal officials and state and local leaders. A lot of repair and rebuilding needs to be done on the East Coast. The storm has left many residents without essential living services like electricity, heat, and hot water. It had been estimated that over 7.5 million power outages occurred during the storm. New York City was one of the hardest hit areas on the East Coast.
New York City’s Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, believes climate change is behind Hurricane Sandy and the damage it has caused. The storm is said to have left more than 100 people dead on the East Coast, 43 of which were in New York City. More than 300,000 housing units were destroyed, costing $3.1 billion for New York City alone.
The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is well underway in restoration of housing developments. Electricity, heat, hot water, and elevators have now been restored in damaged areas. Now, NYCHA is moving on to its next phase in recovery. John Rhea, NYCHA Chairman, claims their job is to ensure a safe living and work environment for NYC residents. Their goal is to create clean, healthy housing, meanwhile, offering NYC residents alternative places to live. NYCHA’s Family Services will be doing what they can to help people get back into the normal swing of things prior to the storm by offering childcare services and assistance.
Currently, NYCHA is cleaning and restoring individual apartments that have been damaged from the flooding caused by Hurricane Sandy. Their goal is to inspect and sanitize all developments that have been affected by the storm. It is great to see that local leaders are treating the damage and the impact that the storm has had on people’s lives with a sense of urgency and priority.
For more information about John Rhea, click here.
Resources:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycha/html/news/nycha-continues-restoration-and-remediation-efforts-in-housing-developments.shtml