26 The Queens Courier • October 24, 2013 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com sandy retrospective NEW NYFAC CENTER CAN BE SHELTER FROM THE STORM BY LIAM LA GUERRE [email protected] At the New York Families for Autistic Children (NYFAC) center in Howard Beach, the staff uses colorful plastic boxes for files and toys. Cardboard boxes aren’t allowed. It isn’t that the staff prefers the colorful selection of plastic containers because they blend well with the center’s bright walls. The plastic boxes are a small example of how Sandy conscious the center has become following the immense damage it sustained from the superstorm. “They cost a little more, but they’re waterproof,” said Andrew Baumann, CEO and president of NYFAC. After Sandy touched down last October, water as high as four feet flooded the first floor of the nearly $6 million center, destroying walls, furniture and electrical equipment, and forcing the facility to close two weeks before it was slated to open. But now because of some major adjustments it may be able to survive another Sandy-like storm. A backflow valve was installed to prevent sewer backup, and the center, which is mostly powered by solar panels, now has backup gas generators in case the power goes out. Baumann is also researching technology that would block or limit water outside from flowing into the building and is hoping to get funds to install it by next year. And of course, he has obtained flood insurance for the facility. “I have so much flood insurance, if you split on the floor, I’m covered,” Baumann said. To fix the damage and replace furniture and equipment after Sandy, Baumann had to borrow nearly $400,000 from his bank. The center was able to have its grand opening in April, nearly six months behind schedule. Now it serves about 60 children with autism in day and evening sessions. The staff interacts and socializes with the children, who can play sports, instruments, bake, grow vegetables in an outside garden, play video games and read books, among other activities. Baumann said they plan to accept more children, but will do so slowly because it takes a while before the kids can get used to new people. The facility is an inviting place for the children and Baumann hopes for the community in general as well. In case another storm like Sandy does return, he wants residents to know that the center could provide shelter. Baumann said the building, which has two floors, dozens of rooms, six bathrooms, two showers and a full kitchen, should be able to accommodate about 100 people in an emergency. “I really think of this as more than just an autism center,” Bauman said. “It’s a community center.” THE COURIER/ Photo by Liam La Guerre Andrew Baumann rebuilt the NYFAC autism center with enhancements in case another superstorm returns. HB to get $18M to rebuild RESIDENTS HAVE A SAY BY LIAM LA GUERRE [email protected] The first public meeting in Howard Beach for the state’s reconstruction plan was held at P.S. 146 on October 21. Residents learned about the state’s NY Rising Community Reconstruction program, which is a plan that provides funds for rebuilding and revitalization of more than 100 communities that were severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. The reconstruction program allows the neighborhoods to decide how funds should be spent in their communities, so the first meeting focused on identifying community needs and resources where residents would like to see the money invested. Howard Beach was designated $18.3 million from the program. “What I love about this program is that it’s not the governor telling residents what they are going to get,” said Senator Joseph Addabbo. “It’s from the bottom up. The residents are telling the governor how they would like to see that $18 million spent.” Community resources are broken into categories, such as economic, housing, infrastructure, natural and cultural, and health and social. Each category contains a corresponding list of places in the community. Residents had the opportunity to add to more places to the lists at the meeting. In the “necessities” section, people said they would like the community to invest in solar panels, gasoline on hand for generators, a central storm hub, and strengthening churches and high ground shelters, among others. Howard Beach residents learned about the state’s NY Rising Community Reconstruction program at the first Howard Beach meeting. The Howard Beach NY Rising planning committee, which is made up of residents from the neighborhood, will take the feedback from the meeting to review. There will be three more public meetings to discuss the reconstruction plan, before a final plan is drafted and submitted. THE COURIER/Photo by Liam La Guerre The next public meeting will be on November 18 at P.S. 207. For more information about the program residents should visit stormrecovery.ny.gov.
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