AFTER THE  
 Brooklynites deal with the  
 Many Brooklynites were still waiting for the city to help more than a week after Tropical Storm Isaias blew through the borough.  
 BY MEAGHAN MCGOLDRICK &  
 INSIDE 
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 COURIER L 4     IFE, AUGUST 14-20, 2020 
 ROSE ADAMS 
 One week after Tropical  
 Storm Isaias tore through  
 New  York  City,  hundreds  of  
 Brooklynites  are  still  waiting  
 on city offi cials to pick up  
 downed trees.  
 Dyker  Heights  resident  
 Reyes Martinez, 50, said he  
 has  been  waiting  for  seven  
 days for the city to dispose of  
 a gigantic tree that toppled  
 onto his house during the  
 Aug. 4 storm.  
 “We’re concerned if it  
 rains again, the tree may  
 slip and go right on top of the  
 house,” he said. 
 The night of the storm,  
 Martinez said he heard a  
 crack against his 12th Avenue  
 house  by  80th  Street.  He  
 ran to his bedroom and saw  
 a tree had slammed into the  
 two-story building, breaking  
 shingles,  smashing  the  
 air conditioner, and cracking  
 several windows. 
 Martinez, who fi led a complaint  
 with the city about the  
 tree  fi ve  years  ago,  said  he  
 called 311 close to 30 times to  
 remove the tree, but no one  
 responded for 72 hours. 
 “We were without power  
 for  three  days  consistently  
 calling Con Edison, calling  
 311, until it came to the point  
 when we had to go to the local  
 politicians,” said Martinez. 
 Con Edison fi nally arrived  
 to  his  block  on  Aug.  7  to  restore  
 power and clear some  
 fallen branches with the help  
 of the Parks Department. The  
 workers left the bulk of the  
 fallen  tree  in  place,  but  still  
 told him later in an email that  
 his service request was closed  
 and  that  Parks  “performed  
 the work necessary to correct  
 the condition,” he said.  
 The storm knocked out  
 power for more than 24,000  
 Brooklynites and downed  
 10,000 trees citywide. But  
 while Con Ed has restored  
 most of the outages, many residents  
 are still waiting on the  
 Parks  Department  to  clear  
 the debris. 
 Fellow  Dyker  Heights  native  
 John  Armento,  68,  told  
 Brooklyn Paper he’s been  
 stuck with a hefty insurance  
 bill after Isaias sent a tree  
 smashing into his car. 
 “I  was  hoping  they  would  
 work with me and know that I  
 cannot drive that car, there’s  
 no way to drive that car,” the  
 retired sanitation worker said  
 of his insurance company,  
 which he claims won’t let him  
 cancel his insurance yet. “I  
 just don’t feel it’s fair.” 
 Across the borough in Canarsie, 
   Conklin  Avenue  resident  
 Gailyen  Bender  had  to  
 wait  a  full week  for  Parks  to  
 chop  up  a  downed  tree  that  
 landed  on  her  family’s  home  
 of 34 years, and for Con Ed  
 to get her electricity back up  
 and  running.  As  of  Aug.  12,  
 massive  chunks  of  the  felled  
 tree  still  littered  her  front  
 yard  —  but  she  was  equally  
 frustrated  with  the  delayed  
 response  from  her  utility  
 company. 
 “Con  Edison  should  either  
 be prepared for the next  
 storm or relinquish their duties  
 to  the  city,”  Bender  told  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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