16 The Queens Courier • february 7, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com BREEZY BURNED Kieran Burke lost 40 years of memories BY MAGGIE HAYES mhayes@queenscourier.com The cause of Sandy’s Breezy Point fire was electric, the FDNY announced in December. One month later, area resident Kieran Burke has initiated a lawsuit against the town’s power company, LIPA, and rallied his neighbors to fight for justice. “LIPA’s negligence destroyed my home and incinerated 40 years worth of memories,” said Burke. “That was my childhood home, I raised my family there.” When Burke found out that the blaze was electric, and that LIPA could have proactively shut off the area’s electricity before Sandy hit, he approached longtime neighborhood friend and attorney, Keith Sullivan, of the law firm Sullivan and Galleshaw. The firm was the first to file, followed by Sullivan, Papain, Block, McGrath and Cannavo (SPBMC). Together, the two represent roughly a combined 90 residents. Each claimant is seeking a different amount, with the highest claim being $1.5 million. “From my perspective, this is a tragedy, and it was so avoidable,” said Sullivan. “We have a community that was hit hard by Mother Nature, and then kicked when it was down by LIPA’s incompetence.” When the flames started Kieran Burke dug through what once was his home after it was destroyed by the Breezy Point fire. that night, Burke dashed from a nearby home to his own, where he frantically searched for important items, including his son’s birth certificate. The fire spread, and he had to leave his home immediately. The six-alarm blaze that incinerated more than 100 homes could have been avoided if LIPA had shut off the area’s electricity before floodwaters came through, according to the claim filed by SPBMC. The day before Sandy hit, the storm was predicted to have “destruction potential,” the legal claim stated. In such a case, de-energizing, or suspending electricity to an area, is recommended in order to protect the public from fire and electrical hazards posed by floodwaters. According to the claim, LIPA had knowledge that Breezy Point was a floodprone zone before Sandy hit, but disregarded this notion. “De-energizing Breezy Point and the Rockaway Peninsula during Sandy would have afforded these families and their neighbors protection from fire,” said the claim. LIPA, however, did take precautionary measures and THE COURIER/Photo by Alexa Altman de-energized Fire Island before the storm struck, and also did so one year prior, before Hurricane Irene. One official, in the claim, described these acts as “a measure to avoid fires and other risks that would require a personnel response not possible during the storm,” measures that Breezy Point was not afforded. A LIPA spokesperson said that the organization had reviewed the claims, and has no comment at this time. “This is a cut and dry situation,” said Burke. “LIPA destroyed people’s lives.” Commerce Secretary tours Rockaway Promises to help biz get back on their feet BY TERENCE M. CULLEN tcullen@queenscourier.com Assistant Secretary of Commerce Matt Erskine promises he will take what he saw in the Rockaways back to Washington, D.C. to ensure south Queens continue to get relief as it still reels from Sandy. On Thursday, January 30 Erskine, along with elected officials, toured the still-devastated areas of the peninsula — including the Madelaine Chocolate Factory, one of the largest small businesses in Queens with 425 employees, which was heavily damaged by the storm. Erskine and the politicians applauded the staff at Madelaine for its efforts to get back to work. “The president made clear that this was to be an all hands on deck effort,” Erskine said. “And that he was committed to making sure that we at the federal government are going to be with you every step of the way, and we’re going to look for new ways to work more effectively with our state and local partners to get this job done and get it done correctly.” The visit came just days after Congress approved the second part of a $60 billion Sandy aid package almost three months after the storm swept through the area. Erskine, speaking before local leaders at Vetro in Howard Beach, which was also damaged in the storm, promised President Barack Obama was committed that everyone, from every agency, work together like never before to ensure the Rockaways get all the relief that’s needed. About 40 percent of the small businesses in the Rockaways will probably T:8.75” never reopen, said Jack Friedman, executive director of the Queens Chamber of Commerce. The goal of chamber members, along with local leaders, is to help CARE IS HERE COME SAY HELLO EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care House Party! You’re invited to celebrate the grand opening of EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care — an inviting space offering superior face-to-face customer service, problem solving, health education and more. January 23, 2013 4:00 pm–6:30 pm EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care 206-20 Linden Blvd., Cambria Heights, NY 11411 Visit us, take a tour, listen to music and receive an EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care Package (while supplies last). as many businesses as possible get back on their feet. “We see that same thing happening all over the Rockaway Peninsula, all over Howard Beach,” Friedman said. “Small business people trying to get through the loss of their homes, the loss of their possessions, the loss of their businesses, looking for help and support from government, private industry, from not-forprofits, just so they can go back to do what they do, which is employ a lot of our residents, make this borough work.” FEMA flood maps might affect insurance rates BY TERENCE M. CULLEN FEMA coordinating officer Mike tcullen@queenscourier.com Byrne told NY1. This is the first map FEMA has made Homeowners looking to rebuild in for the New York City area in 30 years, Sandy-affected parts of south Queens he said. FEMA had already been reworking might have to raise their foundations after the maps when Sandy struck and release of a new federal map detailing flood zones. Howard Beach, Lindenwood and Rosedale were added to FEMA’s latest advisory map on flood zone elevation in an attempt to avoid the same volume of flooding and damage experienced during the superstorm. “This is the first in a series of steps on what will become the regulatory guidance,” the effects were later factored into the planning. Byrne said these maps will prompt home and business owners to rebuild higher than before, and it was FEMA’s goal to get some information out as soon as possible, as people want to rebuild now. The finalized map might not come out for another two years, he said, but the advisory one could be used now on rebuilding homes. A future map would be based on the current advisories, he said. Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed an executive order on Thursday, January 31, that mandated rebuilding be in accordance with these new maps, though they’re only tentative. There are concerns, however, as the maps will change and people have already begun to rebuild. Community Board 10 chair Elizabeth Braton said the long-term concern will be what flood insurance rates will be after the maps are approved by the city. 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