Image of the Day

impact; providing sufficient federal disaster relief funding to NYCHA, and
employing NYCHA residents for building repairs instead of outsourcing
jobs.
A recent census found 2,489 vacancies in 20 City Council districts
that could house 200,000 people. In Far Rockaway, there are 384 lots that
could be used to set up housing for 31,696 people immediately, keeping
families close to their community networks. The City of New York should
seize this opportunity to set a global precedent that would address both the
immediate crisis as well as create housing for the tens of thousands who
were homeless before the storm.
2) HEALTH
The storm has compounded an already existing health crisis in NYC.
Now, families are living in unsafe homes, there is not enough access to
primary care physicians, mental health practitioners and health care
facilities in affected communities, and it has become even more difficult
for those in impacted areas to access healthy food.
FEMA and Red Cross should work with volunteer healthcare
infrastructures to set up more clinics to dispense necessary prescriptions
and trauma counseling, and should direct money toward supplying healthy
food to those in need — instead of canned goods, military rations, and
other food high in sodium.
3) SAFETY NET SERVICES
Workers are being or have been deducted pay from jobs they cannot
physically get to, many are unaware of FEMA benefits and deadlines, and
private insurers are denying many claims. The Red Cross should dedicate
some of its Sandy recovery funds to public information campaigns that
inform employers and employees of their rights and what services are
available. FEMA should be out canvassing neighborhoods with
interpreters in order to ensure that all individuals impacted by the storm
know their rights. FEMA should also organize weekly or twice weekly
mass mailings for a minimum of four weeks, distributing leaflets in
multiple languages, notifying people of available assistance and pertinent
deadlines.