The NYS 2100 commission, one of four that Mr. Cuomo established in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, is tasked with evaluating and recommending changes to the state’s infrastructure to better prepare for the harsher weather expected in the future. Its broad 175-page study says the state should consider storm barriers with movable gates that would span the Narrows, at a cost of tens of billions of dollars, and endorses a variety of “soft infrastructure” investments like building dunes and wetlands and oyster reefs, which were more prevalent along New York’s coastline in the 1800s.New York State Storm Panel Recommends Major Changes - NYTimes.com (via rubenfeld)
I’m saying right now, anyone from New York or New Jersey who contributes one penny to congressional Republicans is out of their minds, because what they did last night was put a knife in the back of New Yorkers and New Jerseyans. It was an absolute disgrace.Republican Rep. Peter King • Condemning House Republicans for refusing to vote on a post-Sandy disaster relief bill that was approved by the Senate last week. The bill would have allocated roughly $60.4 billion in disaster relief funding for the areas in New York and New Jersey that were devastated by Sandy last year. House Republicans have responded to the criticism with assurances that a vote is coming in the 113th Congress, and a denial that there is any immediate need for such funding. source
Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg visited Washington DC joined by Senator Charles Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand to ask for fiscal help from the federal government for Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.
In New York City, the public and private losses caused by Hurricane Sandy, which were not covered by private insurance come to $15.2 billion. New York City’s recovery is vital to America’s continued economic recovery and growth.
Read the Mayor’s remarks delivered yesterday at the U.S Capitol Building at http://on.nyc.gov/UdLnVc.
Highlight from the remarks: “We haven’t waited for the help that we hope to get from Washington to come, but given the scale and the impact of the storm, Federal assistance is clearly warranted.”
SURREAL ESTATE A worker stands in a living room filled with sand two weeks after superstorm Sandy in Bay Head, New Jersey. (Photo: Mario Tama / Getty Images via The Guardian)
There been no shortage of bizarre, heartrending and impressive photography in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
wnyc:
This series of images from the U.S. Geological Survey documents coastal erosion in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. The yellow arrows indicate the same point on each image.
Images documenting the storm’s impact on the New Jersey coastline are here.
Wow. Dramatic changes.
wnyc:
The subway comes back, in GIF.
Since Sandy left town, we’ve been downloading MTA subway-recovery maps to feed WNYC’s Changing Trains map. Our Steve Melendez put them together in a time-lapse GIF. Click through to the full-size image.
Great graphic — one that shows the speed of the recovery.
A good thought from my friend Dave Beard, who suggests that Obama and Romney donate some of their leftover campaign money to help victims of Hurricane Sandy. What do you think? — Ernie @ SFB
To the Editor:
I am was very displeased with Gov. Chris Christie’s Executive Order to delay Halloween to Monday (Nov. 5). I am also displeased with our local governments for bowing so quickly without seeing what was best for their specific towns.
The area we live in was spared from the devastation, yet the entire state was lumped together as a giant disaster area. It didn’t matter that my town had already come up with an alternate plan, or that other towns had already assessed damages and realized that it was safe for our children to go and carry out their traditions.
Never before have I felt the presence of the government in my home as loudly as I did on Oct. 31. I found it very contradictory to the motto of our country. I did not feel free.
In which one mom misses all of the points in an angry letter about New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s decision to postpone trick-or-treating last week. (ht Hypervocal)
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Tumblr this morning. [h/t anne]
#@#$%!.tumblr.com
Here’s a hidden feature that shipped in...
Some very creative folks started a wedding registry on Amazon.com for items desperately needed in Brooklyn. One of the people behind this effort is a client of mine so I know for a fact this is 100% legit.
Please help them out…signal boost, buy something, whatever you can do.
This is smart. A very smart hack of Amazon.
Stop what you’re doing. Look at these photos. Buzzfeed’s Matt Stopera has gathered 60 photos of the destruction from Hurricane Sandy. It is worse than you think it is. Stopera’s only commentary — “These people need help” — nails it.
(Above: Breezy Point, Queens. Photo by Spencer Platt / Getty Images)
We’ve been training for a year. I think they did the right thing by canceling it. But what else were we going to do? We wanted to run.Runner Ola Lilja • Discussing why she took part in what was described as an “underground” marathon in NYC on Sunday, despite the fact that the city had cancelled the official one. Thousands showed up to race anyway, with all the makings of the race — including the finish line — set up and security guards playing a role in keeping everything in line. Not everyone took part — many runners instead chose to travel to Staten Island, which was devastated by the hurricane, to help out.
On Twitter today, Chris Christie reached out to Twitter super-user Justin Bieber for help promoting the New Jersey Sandy relief fund. He’s also sent similar messages to Bruce Springsteen, Piers Morgan, Danny DeVito, the Jonas Brothers and “Cake Boss” Buddy Valastro in the past two hours. For what it’s worth, Bieber’s working on it. Are you? (ht Matthew Keys)
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