SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

Photo By Erica Sherman

According to a report in the New York Daily News, the Probation Department has been bringing about 70 at risk teens to help rebuild the Gerritsen Beach community every weekend.

While the teens were all busted for skipping fares, fighting and stealing, they have found a positive outlet in helping clear damaged houses and tear down walls:

The program “is the first time any of them have ever held a tape measure,” [Steve] Cacace, [the probation administer] said.

That came in handy two weeks ago, when some of the teens showed up at Linda Vergara’s Astor Court home. The ground floor was destroyed when nearly three feet of water rushed into her home the night Sandy hit. The Brooklyn College secretary lost everything in the home once owned by her grandparents.

“Her house was literally wrecked,” said 16-year-old Trayvon, who worked on Vergara’s home. “It was so sad. It could happen to anybody.”

For the next several hours, the kids pulled up Vergara’s floorboards, pulled out rotted wall beams and removed portions of her ceiling. They built new wall frames for the living room and bedroom and began to install new insulation.

Reaction to this story has been mixed. One Daily News commentator, Lucille, was worried that the children, whose crimes weren’t serious enough to be jailed for, were being taken advantage of.

They will complete their community service, that’s the only accreditation they will receive. The kids won’t gain anything that will get them a job for what homeowners should be paying contractors for as FEMA (with our tax dollars) is supposed to paying for the repairs, at least eventually, of these homes. Meanwhile the homeowners will get every dime promised to them by FEMA while some of the work on their homes will have already been done by these kids for free and the kids get nothing as usual.

Um, sorry, but since when is construction not a viable trade?

The Small Business Administration recently announced that it has funded over $1 billion in disaster relief loans for victims of Hurricane Sandy in New York State, touting the approval of more than 15,000 low-interest loans to help residents and business owners get back on their feet after getting slammed by the powerful late October storm.

But an analysis of loan data for five zip codes in Southern Brooklyn, an area that includes some of the hardest hit neighborhoods in New York City, shows the federal agency has funded less than 30 percent of the applications for home and business loans it has received.

Business owners in the area, and across Brooklyn, have been frustrated by what they argue is SBA’s slow response to loan requests in the aftermath of a storm that caused an estimated $20 billion in damage in the five boroughs.

And while business owners tell a different story, Andre Ledgister, a spokesman for SBA, said the agency was processing loans in an average of 21 days.

“We’re asking that everyone be patient as we process the large number of applications form this disaster,” Ledgister said, adding that SBA has approved 2,080 disaster loan applications in Brooklyn worth over $101 million. This includes nearly $68 million in loans in Southern Brooklyn.

SBA provides disaster loans to homeowners, renters, nonprofits and businesses. After Sandy, the agency sent out nearly 23,000 loan applications in the zip codes 11229, 11235, 11224, 11223 and 11214, which cover neighborhoods like Sheepshead Bay, Coney Island, Gerritsen Beach, Brighton Beach and Gravesend.

Residents and business owners in those zip codes filed 4,650 loan applications and 1,344 have been funded, for a rate of 29 percent, according to data provided to Sheepshead Bites by SBA in late February.

Alan Chavez, a spokesperson for SBA, said the agency sent out applications to “almost everybody that was damaged” by the storm, trying to cast a wide net in the badly battered neighborhoods. But Chavez said many residents and businesses in the area decided not to apply to SBA for loans.

“Some people decided not to use it,” Chavez said.

Still, among those who did apply, the funding rate was below 30 percent.

“I’m extremely disappointed in hearing those numbers,” said Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz. “I think that SBA has extremely harsh determinations and make it extremely difficult for anyone to receive a loan from them.”

He added: “I know of storekeepers on Emmons Avenue that needed loans and didn’t apply because it was too cumbersome. And those that did jump through hoops to work with them, they are still waiting to hear from SBA.”

In the zip code 11235, SBA has received 2,108 applications and funded 456 home loans, 47 business loans and two economic injury loans, a rate of 24 percent. The loans are worth a total of $27.2 million. In 11229, SBA got 802 loan applications and funded 375 for homes and businesses, a rate of 47 percent. The loans are worth nearly $21 million.

In 11224, which covers Coney Island, SBA had received 1,468 loans applications and funded 393 for homes and businesses, a rate of about 27 percent. The approved loans in Coney Island are worth approximately $18.2 million.

Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, a first-term Democratic congressman whose district includes Coney Island, Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, credited SBA for its post-storm efforts, but said the agency needs to do more to help storm victims.

“The Small Business Administration has done the best job that they can under the enormity of the circumstances, but the nature of the disaster will require the agency to do more in the months to come,” Jeffries said.

Rick Miranda, who runs the Brooklyn Hispanic Chamber or Commerce, said SBA had been doing a good job helping businesses in the borough in the aftermath of Sandy. The Hispanic chamber is one of two organizations in Brooklyn that is certified to originate SBA loans and Miranda knows the process well. Even in normal times, without the backlog of applications Sandy generated, it can be tough to gather the paperwork needed for SBA approval. But Miranda said SBA had been responsive to his requests since Sandy, even agreeing to send more Spanish-language agents to Brooklyn to help Hispanic business owners with paperwork.

“With devastation of this magnitude, I don’t think it was negligence on behalf of the agency,” he said. “I think they’re doing the best they can.”

Still, Cymbrowitz criticized the SBA process as unresponsive to the scope of the damage Southern Brooklyn took from Sandy.

“What happens is, in order to get the loan, it had really nothing to do with the loss, but had to do with the credit of the business owner, which was never really explained to the business owner,” he said. “So the business owner, the amount of money he would receive, is really based on his credit history and not the damage he received.”

- Craig Giammona

While Superstorm Sandy hit everyone in Southern Brooklyn hard, perhaps no one was hit harder than low-income renters in Coney Island and Brighton Beach, according to a report published by the New York Daily News.

Residents in Coney and Brighton filed more requests for federal aid after Sandy than any other neighborhood in the city. In numbers tabulated by Enterprise Community Partners, a national affordable housing organization, 14,649 people requested aid in Brighton Beach compared to 12,764 in Coney Island.

According to the report, 69 percent of the people requesting aid were earning less than $30,000, illuminating the overwhelming financial burden Sandy has imposed on those who could afford it least.

“Much of the reporting on Sandy victims has focused on homeowners. Yet, 55 percent of the surge victims in New York were very low-income renters, whose incomes are $18,000 a year on average,” said Max Weselcouch of the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy. “These households were vulnerable before the storm, and programs to assist them will need to take their need for affordable housing into account in order for them to fully recover from the storm’s damage.”

Congresswoman Yvette Clarke. Photo by Erica Sherman

Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke will hold a “Town Hall Meeting on the Recovery from Hurricane Sandy,” March 11 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Brooklyn Amity School, 3867 Shore Parkway at Knapp Street.

Get information from FEMA about the National Flood Insurance Program and the IRS about itemizing casualty losses, extensions for filing deadlines, and other matters.

For further information, call (718) 287-1142.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to buy up your Sandy damaged home and sell them over to land developers, according to a report by WNYC.

Following the lead of Governor Andrew Cuomo, who wants to spend $400 million to buy up Sandy homes at pre-Sandy values, Bloomberg wants a similar plan for the city. The difference is that under Cuomo’s plan, the land would be converted into parks, public spaces and wetlands, while Bloomberg wants to use the land to sell to real estate developers.

Brad Gair, the director of the city’s housing recovery testified at a City Council meeting as to why the mayor is pursuing this plan.

“These are valuable properties,” WNYC reported Gair saying at the meeting. “There is a limited amount of coastline properties.”

Criticism of the plan surrounds the economic risk the taxpayers incur should the redeveloped lands be flooded again:

James Fraser, an associate professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, says the requirement protects taxpayers from having to pay twice for the same property: to buy it out, and then again later, if it gets flooded.

“When a locality continues to develop in a flood plains, they are not only putting themselves at risk,” Fraser, who has researched FEMA buyouts, said. “They are putting the nation at risk because financially FEMA has to pay for future flooding.”

Mayor Bloomberg has suggested that modern construction methods, such as elevating homes above the 100-year-flood level, will make them sufficiently flood-proof for the future. Fraser says modern rebuilding helps, but it doesn’t solve the whole problem.

“You still have impervious surface and that impervious surface is going to contribute to the amount of flooding that’s experienced in the surrounding area,” he said.

For Bloomberg’s plan to go through, he’ll need permission from the federal government, which wants to ensure that buyouts are based on pre-storm values and that those selling are given adequate assistance to relocate.

Source: Free Press Pics via Flickr

It’s amazing how a storm can not only destroy homes, businesses and lives, but months later, bring  a whirlwind of insurance nightmares and legal headaches, like an aftershock to an earthquake. So it goes for Sandy victims, who are dealing insurance loopholes and legal issues mucking up their path to recovery.

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, residents counting on much needed insurance checks are learning that their policies are riddled with loopholes that exempt entire floors from coverage. On the financial side, banks are refusing to release insurance payments until residents can prove how they will spend the money. In short, storm victims are coming up short on cash.

All of this red tape has created another crisis thought impossible in New York City, a shortage of lawyers:

“I know this sounds ironic especially in a place like New York, but there just aren’t enough lawyers,” said Thomas Maligno, who is leading Sandy outreach efforts for Touro Law School, which includes a legal hotline and a new legal clinic on Long Island staffed by a professor and eight students.

Congress approved $60 billion toward Sandy recovery, with $1 million reserved for funding legal services, but it’s looking like that was not enough. Free legal clinics have been inundated with requests from people trying to navigate the complex web of insurance forms and legal documents, all emanating from clusters of different agencies.

Continue Reading »

Arbuz’ employees helped with the cleanup process, wiping down furniture days after Sandy hit.

Despite the recent passage of a $50 billion federal emergency funds package for victims of Hurricane Sandy, there is lingering skepticism in Southern Brooklyn that the aid will alleviate the ongoing struggles in this badly battered corner of the city.

Local elected officials have touted the passage of the federal aid package as a key step in the region’s recovery from a storm that caused an estimated $20 billion in damage in New York City. Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently announced plans to use the first installment of federal aid, about $1.8 billion, to set up grant and loan programs for homeowners and businesses badly damaged by the storm.

But after nearly four months of seeking Sandy aid from the government, some business owners and organization heads in Southern Brooklyn say the federal Small Business Administration (SBA), which makes emergency loans available to Sandy victims, has been slow to respond to the crisis.

Continue Reading »

Source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia

FEMA has shown a remarkable degree of fairness in extending its deadlines to register for disaster assistance, and it actually comes as no surprise that they have done so again.

The previous deadline was set for today February 27, but has been extended another 30 days to March 29. The deadline also extends to complete and return low-interest SBA disaster loan applications to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Here are the relevant details:

How to register with FEMA

Individuals can register with FEMA online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or via smartphone or tablet by going to m.fema.gov or by downloading the FEMA app.

Survivors can also register by calling the FEMA Helpline: 800-621-3362 (Voice, 7-1-1/Relay) or (TTY) 800-462-7585. The line is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. EST, seven days a week until further notice.

Anyone with questions regarding the FEMA registration process, the status of their application and available disaster assistance programs is encouraged to visit a Disaster Recovery Center or contact FEMA.

To find the nearest Disaster Recovery Center, the following options are available: Text DRC and a Zip Code to 43362 (4FEMA), and a text message will be sent back with the address. Also, the Disaster Recovery Center locator is available online atwww.FEMA.gov/disaster-recovery-centers.

SBA disaster loan application

A simple and fast way to complete the disaster loan application is online, using the SBA’s electronic loan application. Go to https://DisasterLoan.SBA.gov/ELA.

SBA customer service representatives are available to issue or accept low-interest disaster loan applications and answer questions at all New York State/FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers and

SBA business recovery centers and Disaster Loan Outreach Centers. To locate the nearest center, visit www.sba.gov or call 800-659-2955 (TTY 800-877-8339).

More information is available by calling the SBA Disaster Customer Service Center toll-free number, 800-659-2955 (TTY 800-877-8339). Assistance is also available by sending an email to DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov or by visiting www.sba.gov.

For more information on New York’s disaster recovery, visitwww.fema.gov/SandyNY, www.twitter.com/FEMASandy,www.facebook.com/FEMASandy and www.fema.gov/blog.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.

FEMA’s temporary housing assistance and grants for public transportation expenses, medical and dental expenses, and funeral and burial expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, applicants who receive SBA loan applications must submit them to SBA loan officers to be eligible for assistance that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses.

Source: Nadler.house.gov

Representative Jerrold Nadler is facing some criticism from Jewish groups today over his stance on the recent Congressional legislation that allowed for FEMA money to be spent on the repair and rebuilding of synagogues, churches and other religious houses of worship damaged by Superstorm Sandy, according to an editorial by the Jewish Press.

Yesterday, we reported that the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to approve the use of federal funds to help Sandy-stricken houses of worship of all faiths. The passing of the act is likely to face some friction in the Senate and the courts as it brings up important questions regarding separation of church and state.

Nadler was a vocal leader of the opposition to this bill, arguing that the use of taxpayer money to fund the reconstruction of religious buildings was unconstitutional. His stance did not go unnoticed by the Jewish Press, arguing that the legislation made “common sense.”

If Congress decides that it is in the public interest to bring about large-scale restorations, such as roof and sidewall repair, by what logic can one exclude religious institutions that are in exactly the same position as non-religious entities? After all, religious institutions are entitled to, for example, police and fire protection just like their non-religious counterparts.

While Nadler was on the receiving end of criticism, other politicians, who have been pushing for the bill, like Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz were pleased with its passage in the House, reaching out to his Facebook followers with this message.

 Yesterday the House of Representatives passed the “Federal Disaster Assistance Non-Profit Fairness Act of 2013,” which would allow houses of worship to be included among the non-profit recipients of FEMA relief aid. I’ve been working on this issue with the Jewish Community Relations Council of NY and the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce to help synagogues and churches apply for FEMA. Houses of worship impact our entire community and desperately need a helping hand to get back on their feet.

The House of Representatives voted by a wide margin to approve the use of federal funds to repair and rebuild religious institutions damaged by Superstorm Sandy, according to a report by the New York Times.

Receiving intense lobbying by Catholic and Jewish groups, the bill was passed 354-to-72. Support for the measure was largely bipartisan, while opposition consisted of 66 Democrats and six Republicans. The Times laid out the scope of the bill’s language:

Under the bill, “a church, synagogue, mosque, temple or other house of worship, and a private nonprofit facility operated by a religious organization,” would be eligible for federal disaster assistance “without regard to the religious character of the facility or the primary religious use of the facility.”

According to the Times, FEMA raised serious objections to the bill, issuing a memorandum claiming that its passage represents an “enormous departure” from current law.

Congressman Jerrold Nadler, who represents parts of Coney Island, Borough Park and Bensonhurst, opposed the bill on grounds that using taxpayer money to fund the reconstruction and furnishing of religious buildings was unconstitutional.

Nadler’s opposition potentially foreshadows a legal showdown between civil liberty groups and religious advocates in the near future:

The American Civil Liberties Union agreed [with Nadler], saying it was a bedrock principle of constitutional law that “taxpayer funds cannot go to construct, rebuild or repair buildings used for religious activities.”

Lawyers at the emergency management agency expressed concern about possible lawsuits by the civil liberties union and others. “FEMA expects that well-financed and aggressive litigation and injunctions would quickly follow enactment of this bill,” agency lawyers said in their memorandum.