TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2014 • 12 Report: Speed Up Sandy Rebuilding City Looks To Cut The Red Tape by Robert Pozarycki With thousands in the path of destruction left by Hurricane Sandy still picking up the pieces 18 months later, the city announced plans last week to expedite the recovery in stormhit areas of Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. Mayor Bill de Blasio released last Thursday, Apr. 17, “One City, Rebuilding Together,” described as a “diagnostic” summary of the city’s response to the October 2012 superstorm, which included recommendations to speed up and make more available various financial relief programs to recovering homeowners, businesses and communities. The report follows changes to the city’s “Build It Back” program announced by de Blasio in January which, the administration claimed, has expedited the “pace of homeowner interaction, decisionmaking and receipt of financial support ... in the past three months, with momentum growing.” Announced by then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg last June, Build It Back aimed to provide grants and loans, among other assistance, to homeowners and business owners in areas of the city hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy. Critics claimed the program proved counteractive to its objective of expediting recovery efforts. “We can’t stand idly by as red tape and bureaucratic bottlenecks prevent far too many New Yorkers from getting the relief they need,” de Blasio said. “We’ve laid out a blueprint to provide critical financial relief to homeowners and directly engage communities in the rebuilding process—all while continuing our work to ensure a stronger and more resilient New York.” Striking the northeast U.S. on Oct. 29-30, 2012, Hurricane Sandy pummeled New York City with heavy winds of up to 75 mph and a 12’-high storm surge that inundated coastal communities such as the Rockaways and Staten Island. Billions in damages were sustained, requiring financial assistance from the federal government. Under the various reform measures announced last Thursday, de Blasio noted, the city set a goal of having construction started on at least 500 homes in storm-impacted areas and at least 500 reimbursement checks issued to storm victims by the end of this summer. -SEE SANDY ON PG. 53- GRAND OPENING CLEAN CYCLE LAUNDROMAT ©Times Newsweekly - 2014 - CLEANCYCLE 66-29 Fresh Pond Road Ridgewood, NY 11385 Telephone: 718-456-WASH NEW CARD SYSTEM SELF AND DROP OFF SERVICE *OPEN 7 DAYS* 7am-10pm (Last wash 9pm) Free WIFI and TV monitors while you wait Free soap on Wednesdays for the month of April and May ORTHODONTICS WWW.GLENRIDGEORTHODONTIST.COM Adults & Children Invisalign™ Premier Provider Multicolor Mini-Bonded Brackets Ceramic - Clear Braces ©Times Newsweekly 2014 – GLENRIDGE Diplomate, American Board of Orthodontics GLENRIDGE ORTHODONTIC SPECIALISTS Dr. V. Bilello*, Dr. M. Nissenbaum, Dr. P. Bilello, Specialist in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics 65-34 Myrtle Ave., Glendale, NY 11385 1-718-381-2965 1-718-386-8728 RIDGEWOOD HAIR STYLISTS 57-01 Catalpa Ave. (Cor. Seneca Ave.) 1-718-821-9581 WE ALSO DO MAKE-UP • UP-DOs • WAXING • WEDDING PARTIES! SENIOR CITIZENS WEDNESDAY - 15% OFF ©Times Newsweekly – 2014– R'WOOD^HAIR Wed. & Thur.: COLOR, CUT& BLOWDRY Only $$44550000 Shor t Hair Only. Wed. & Thur. : $15 Haircut - Short Hair Only With This Ad Only, Expires May 8, 2014 Gift Certificates Available CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT • WALK-INS WELCOME
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