NYC mayor announces 7 new disaster-relief centers
NEW YORK (AP) — Mayor Michael Bloomberg says seven new disaster relief centers will offer one-stop help to New Yorkers still lacking power, heat and hot water.
He told a news conference Tuesday in the hard-hit Rockaways area that "the task before us is massive." He said getting back to normal for thousands of people whose homes were wrecked by Superstorm Sandy could take months.
The Relief NYC centers are opening immediately in Far Rockaway, Staten Island, and Brooklyn's Coney Island and Gravesend neighborhoods.
Three others will open later this week in Brooklyn's Red Hook, Queens' Breezy Point and Throgs Neck in the Bronx.
Besides immediate needs, the drop-in locations will help people apply for funds from FEMA and other federal and local agencies. Homeowners will also get advice on hiring contractors for repairs.
