The FDNY is sponsoring a blood drive for the New York Blood Center. It will be held at the firehouse of Engine 321 located at 2165 Gerritsen Avenue (at Avenue U) on Monday, February 4, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Please donate, and help save lives of fellow New Yorkers!
Author Paul Moses. Source: Random House, Inc.
As part of the Turkish Cultural Center Brooklyn’s (TCC Brooklyn) “Media Talks” series, the Amity School will host Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Marine Park resident Paul Moses, who will discuss “How to Build a Career in Media,” Monday, February 4 at 3:00 p.m. The discussion will be held inside the Amity School, 3867 Shore Parkway between Brigham Street and Knapp Street, right off the Belt Parkway.
If Moses’ name rings a bell, that’s because, in the days following Superstorm Sandy, the teacher of journalism at Brooklyn College and the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism submitted to us his first local reporting piece in decades, about hard-hit Gerritsen Beach being virtually ignored both in their recovery efforts and by much of the mainstream media.
To learn more about Moses and the event, click here. RSVP by emailing rsvp@tccbrooklyn.org.
Photo by Erica Sherman
Just a reminder that State Senator Marty Golden will be holding another in a series of follow-up town hall meetings for those affected by Superstorm Sandy, January 24, 7:00 p.m. at Public School 277, 2529 Gerritsen Avenue.
Also, another reminder that the final day residents affected by Sandy may apply for assistance from FEMA is Monday, January 28. FEMA has a nearby Disaster Recovery Center at the Gerritsen Beach Volunteer Fire Department, 43 Seba Avenue, everyday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The following agencies have been invited to the meeting: Rapid Repairs, Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit, National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), FEMA, Department of Financial Services (Insurance), Department of Buildings, Department of Health, Department of Finance, the 61st Precinct, Department of Environmental Protection, National Grid and Con Edison.
For further information, contact Golden’s office at (718) 238-6044.
State Senator Marty Golden. Photo by Erica Sherman
State Senator Marty Golden will host two follow-up town hall meetings for those affected by Superstorm Sandy.
The first meeting will be held January 16, 7:00 p.m. at the Sheepshead Bay Yacht Club, 3076 Emmons Avenue. FEMA has a Disaster Recovery Center stationed at the Sheepshead Bay Yacht Club, everyday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The second follow-up town hall for those affected by Sandy will be held January 24, 7:00 p.m. at Public School 277, 2529 Gerritsen Avenue. FEMA also has a Disaster Recovery Center at the Gerritsen Beach Volunteer Fire Department, 43 Seba Avenue, everyday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The following agencies have been invited to both meetings: Rapid Repairs, Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit, National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), FEMA, Department of Financial Services (Insurance), Department of Buildings, Department of Health, Department of Finance, the 61st Precinct, Department of Environmental Protection, National Grid and Con Edison.
For further information, contact Golden’s office at (718) 238-6044.
Original image courtesy of nytimes.com
If you are a homeowner in Gerritsen Beach you can probably expect your insurance bills to rise when the city, in concert with federal officials, push the flood zone lines further inland, according to a report by the New York Post.
“I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of properties not in the flood zone before and find themselves in now,” Don Griffin, a vice president at the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, told the Post.
These areas include the aforementioned Gerritsen Beach, East Williamsburg and parts of Lower Manhattan.
The redrawing of the flood zone lines further inland will yield several consequences for homeowners. People who have mortgages with federally-charted banks will be forced to purchase flood insurance. The closer a homeowner is to the water, the higher the cost they will have to pay in flood insurance.
Those looking to build in a flood zone will also have to meet the stringent height requirements set by FEMA.
“Every foot below the flood plain adds to the cost,” Griffin explained.
The flood zones were last officially expanded in 1983.
Source: Facebook
Authorities have revealed the identity of the naked, burned body found on Gerritsen Beach’s shores Sunday morning as 14-year-old Shaniesha Forbes.
Forbes was reported missing on Friday, last seen at her Flatlands home on Avenue I at 8 a.m. Friday before leaving for school. Forbes was a freshman at Academy for Young Writers in East New York, according to her Facebook profile.
According to the Daily News, Forbes’ naked body was found partially burned next to the remains of a bonfire and some beer. The burns are not believed to be the cause of her death, as there was no smoke in her lungs and only her legs, arms and hands were burned.
Police have not yet ruled the death a homicide, and an autopsy was inconclusive. They have previously noted that there were no obvious signs of trauma, but are continuing to investigate.
Various reports say that Forbes had run away from home at least once before, and so police did not issue a public missing persons bulletin.
Photo: PIX11
Authorities rushed to a patch of shoreline near Gerritsen Avenue near Lois Avenue early Sunday morning, where a woman was found dead, naked and charred by fire.
Police say the victim was a young black woman in her late teens or early twenties, according to PIX11.
The body was found near the water in the nature preserve at approximately 7:15 a.m., and police were on scene for most of the day. In addition to homicide detectives, emergency services units and K-9 units were also active at the scene, and reportedly combed the shore.
Authorities had not yet identified the woman as of Sunday evening, and no identification was found near the remains.
According to the New York Post, “Parts of the victim’s body were burned, but there were no other obvious signs of trauma, and it did not appear the woman had been dead for long.”
Police are still investigating whether there was foul play. The medical examiner will determine the cause of death.
If you’re still digging out from Superstorm Sandy – and we know many residents and businesses are – there’s a town hall meeting tonight in Gerritsen Beach following up on Sandy recovery efforts.
Folks, realize that these opportunities are quickly petering out, so if you have forms you need to file, appeals you need to make, or any questions in general, get to this town hall!
To make doing so easier, the good people over at the Bay Improvement Group have finagled a school bus out of Councilman Michael Nelson. The bus will make eight stops around the hardest hit areas of Sheepshead Bay before going over to the 7:00 p.m. meeting in Gerritsen Beach.
The meeting, organized by State Senator Marty Golden, will feature officials from FEMA; the New York City Departments of Health, Finance and Buildings; the NYC Rapid Repairs Program, and the New York State Department of Financial Services.
Here’s the bus schedule, with approximate times and stop locations:
State Senator Marty Golden. Photo by Erica Sherman
Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); the New York City Departments of Health, Finance and Buildings; the NYC Rapid Repairs Program, and the New York State Department of Financial Services (Insurance) will participate in a follow-up town hall meeting sponsored by State Senator Martin J. Golden.
The meeting, designed to give residents of Gerritsen Beach, Sheepshead Bay and Manahttan Beach an opportunity to discuss ongoing Sandy recovery efforts with key officials, will be held December 27 at 7:00 p.m. inside Public School 277, 2529 Gerritsen Avenue between Bijou Avenue and Channel Avenue.
To learn more, call Golden’s District Office at (718) 238-6044.
Photos by Erica Sherman
State Senator Martin Golden and Councilman Michael Nelson are holding two separate community meetings for residents affected by Hurricane Sandy and the continued recovery efforts in Southern Brooklyn’s hardest hit neighborhoods.
The first meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 28, at 7:00 p.m. at P.S. 277 at 2529 Gerritsen Avenue and is hosted by Golden.
In attendance will be New York State Financial Services Superintendent Ben Lawsky and staff, Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit Commissioner Nazli Parvizi and representatives of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Grid and Con Edison representatives.
“Each and every day, the people and the communities of Gerritsen Beach, Sheepshead Bay and Manhattan Beach, are making progress to fix the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy However, there is no denying that those effected still need our assistance. I continue to work with the effected families and businesses so that their lives can return to normal as soon as possible. This meeting on Wednesday will be another step forward on the road to recovery,” said Golden in a press release.
The second meeting, hosted by Councilman Michael Nelson, is on Thursday, November 29 at 7:00 p.m., at the Shorefront Y at 3300 Coney Island Avenue.
There will be representatives from Mayor Bloomberg’s office, Speaker Quinn’s office, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Department of Buildings (DOB), the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Department of Sanitation (DSNY), the Department of Health (DOH), and representatives from various other agencies and disaster relief programs.
The meeting will consist of recovery updates and a question and answer period for residents.
Members of the community and small business owners are encouraged to attend both events so that they may attain the necessary financial and recovery assistance information post-Sandy.
According to our friends at the Sheepshead Bay – Plumb Beach Civic Association, a free shuttle bus to the Thursday meeting will depart from Brown Street and Emmons Avenue at 6:30 p.m.
