NY1 Online: Panel Discusses Bloomberg’s Plan To Rebuild

Ronald Shiffman from Pratt Institute ‘s Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment, Steven Cohen, The Executive Director of Columbia University’s Earth Institute and Allan Frei, of Hunter College and CUNY’s Institute for sustainable cities joined Inside City Hall to discuss Mayor Bloomberg’s plan for rebuilding after Hurricane Sandy.

NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Needs Volunteers!

The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) is reaching out to volunteer organizations who are providing assistance in Hurricane Sandy disaster areas in each of the five boroughs. We are going to be delivering N95 respirator masks to any organization that is able to receive and distribute them to their volunteers and the public as needed. The delivery date will be this Monday, November 26.

The point person should fill out the document attached and scan and email to this address or fax, and also include the info below in the email/fax.

N95Masks@health.nyc.gov

or fax: 347-396-2752

· Volunteer Organization Name:

· Able to Receive/Distribute Masks? (Y/N):

· Number of Boxes Needed (*see specs below):
· Physical Organization Address at the Disaster Site (include exact address, floor number, etc.):

· Name of Contact Person (Last, First) who will receive masks:
· Tel/Cell Number of Contact Person:
· E-mail Address of Contact Person:
· Any additional information needed for delivery (i.e., delivery entrance on side street):
*The dimensions of the boxes are either 15 x 11 x 13 or 19.5 x 12.5 x 9.5 and each carton holds about 200 masks each. If you will be receiving masks, a FAQ sheet will be e-mailed to you shortly.

Thank you in advance for your participation and for the assistance you are providing!

Posted on Thursday, November 29th 2012

NYC’s Disaster Donations Portal

from Ben Rose, DCT Leader /NYC VOAD

we would like to bring your attention to NYC’s Disaster Donations Portal, the Aidmatrix Network, which is also a source to locate donated goods. This portal can be found on the OEM home page is meant to assist organized groups in finding additional sources or material donations.

 

Aidmatrix is a web-based portal where nonprofit, community, and faith based organizations can post resource needs and view large resource offers that are available from other non-profits, the private sector, and corporations. Organizations are encouraged to complete an online application, which when approved will allow them to post needs and view offers.

 

We understand that recovery resources are as important now as the response resources have been over the past few weeks. Aidmatrix is available 365 days a year to serve as an additional resource for recovery related donations and materials.

If you have not yet seen Aidmatrix, you can access it by clicking here 

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posted on Monday November 26th 2012

Center for Urban Pedagogy calls for project proposals

Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) calls for project proposals related to Sandy response and recovery efforts

CUP uses design and art to improve civic engagement.  They are seeking new project topics and community partners for Public Access Design, our new series of multimedia organizing tools.  We seek community organizations and advocacy groups with a complex social justice issue that would benefit from a visual explanation, and an interest in working collaboratively to produce a visual tool.

The December round of applications to Public Access Design is open to project proposals related to Hurricane Sandy response and recovery efforts.

Strong applicants will have firsthand knowledge of the project topic, access to and a relationship with the constituency affected by that topic, and the capacity to participate in regular meetings and provide feedback throughout the process. Proposed topics should be bounded enough to work within the Public Access Design time frame and format options.

The deadline for applications is Monday, December 3rd, at 8 pm.

Click here to find out more and apply online

CALL TO ACTION: NYC public housing residents of Red Hook call a city-wide press conference/rally at NYCHA’s Manhattan headquarters.

Who: Convergence of city-wide New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) residents and allies.

When: Tuesday, November 27, 9am.

Where: 250 Broadway, Manhattan, NYC.
(R train to City Hall, 4,5,6, J, Z, to Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall)

Immediate demand: Absolve 2 months’ rent (extend NYCHA’s rent credit for both November and December).

From a list of Long-term demands: Replace NYCHA board with a community-led board. Employ NYCHA residents to fix buildings instead of outsourcing jobs. Implement long-term alternative power and weather-prepared solutions. Enact general accountability to residents.

Next step: pressure NYCHA board meeting on December 5, 10am, same location.

3 weeks after Sandy shut down power, heat, and running water for hundreds of thousands of NYC residents, many in public housing still struggle to regain these basic services. After a fiery Red Hook NYCHA hearing–in which residents decried the board’s lack of swift response, concern, and accountability to their uninhabitable living conditions–a community assembly made the call for NYCHA residents to gather for a rally and press conference on November 27 to demand 2 months’ rent to be canceled. They invite all NYCHA residents across NYC, as well as allies of affordable housing and community justice, to come together.

“No services, no rent.”
“How are we supposed to buy food and Christmas presents? We need a rent credit for now, not January 1st.”
“When Obama won, I didn’t hear any jubilation–because the projects were dark.”
“If you’re talking about rebuilding anywhere in Red Hook, you need to rebuild everywhere in Red Hook.”
“We need a guarantee that we’re not going to suffer like this again.”
-statements from Red Hook community at Nov 19 NYCHA hearing and later community assembly

For more information contact: redhookpeoplespress@gmail.com

(347) 201-3356

posted on Monday November 26th 2012

EPA, State and City Launch Household Hazardous Waste Pickup in New York City

(New York, N.Y. – Nov. 23, 2012) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the New York City Department of Sanitation are collecting and properly disposing of potentially hazardous common household products from flood-damaged homes and residences in New York City. The public is encouraged to put waste products on their curbs for pickup, including: solvents, paints, cleaners, oil, propane tanks, batteries, petroleum products, weed/bug killers, car batteries, bleach and ammonia. The EPA and its contractors will drive the streets of impacted areas to pick up the household hazardous waste on the curb at each residence.

“Household hazardous waste, such as petroleum products, old paint and pesticides can be dangerous and should be disposed of properly to protect people’s health and the environment,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. “The EPA is urging people to separate potentially hazardous products from their regular trash and place them on the curb in areas that were impacted by the flood waters from Hurricane Sandy, where they will be picked up.”

Curbside pickup of household hazardous waste will take place in neighborhoods impacted by the storm surge from Hurricane Sandy.

Oil-contaminated debris or material contaminated by other petroleum or chemical products should be separated and stored in a well-ventilated area. If stored outdoors, the piles should be covered to keep rain from contaminating nearby soil and water. Any chemical or oil spills, such as from home heating oil tanks, must be reported to DEC at 1-800-457-7362.

It is also important to clean and disinfect everything touched by flood waters as quickly as possible, since they may contain bacteria or toxic chemicals from sources as varied as pesticides, heating oil and sewage.

Porous items need to be dried right away to prevent mold. If possible, household furnishings should be cleaned or disinfected. If they cannot be cleaned, they should be discarded. Hard, non-porous surfaces should also be cleaned. For detailed advice, see the State Department of Health’s website  and EPA’s Sandy Fact Sheet.

The New York City Department of Sanitation will be picking up white goods, such as refrigerators and other appliances, and will remove the refrigerants from refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners. Refrigerants include chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons, which are greenhouse gases. These refrigerants will be removed from appliances by the city using EPA certified recovery systems before the items are crushed or taken apart for recycling.

The New York City’s Department of Sanitation offers updates at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dsny/html/home/home.shtml.

For a map of Hurricane Sandy hazardous waste pickup sites in New York City, visit:http://epa.gov/sandy/hazardouswastepickup.html.

More information can be found at http://www.epa.gov/sandy.

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page,http://www.facebook.com/eparegion2.

 

Contact: John Martin, (212) 637-3662

 martin.johnj@epa.gov

Apply for “Love Your Block” Grant

Monday November 26th, 2012 Greetings! The deadline for this year’s Love Your Block grants is Friday,November 30th.  NYC Service and Citizens Committee for New York City’s Love Your Block grant program is inviting volunteer-led neighborhood groups from across the city to run projects in the Spring that will transform their blocks and help beautify New York City.  If you intend to apply for a grant, please make sure all of your materials are in by this date (please click here for application materials). If you have any questions about the application process, please do not hesitate to contact Ayodele Oti via email at aoti@cityhall.nyc.gov, or via telephone at 212-442-7652. Also, NYC Service and Citizens Committee for New York City are hosting a Grant Application Information Session tomorrow (November 27th) from 6pm to 8pm. To RSVP, please contact Wilfredo Florentino at wflorentino@citizensnyc.org Location:       NYC Service 253 Broadway, 8th Fl New York, NY 10007 Note: Please arrive a few minutes early to allow time to get through security. We look forward to reading your application! Best, NYC Service

H2O Lecture with Dr. Andrew Hudson of UNDP – Nov. 27, 4-6PM

Join PDRN and the Watershed Planning Class for a lecture on sustainable approaches to water management at the local, regional and global level with Dr. Andrew Hudson, Principal Technical Advisor, International Waters at the United Nations Development Programme.

Grant Opportunities

United Way of New York City (UWNYC) has established a fund to support the health and human services agencies that, due to Hurricane Sandy, are challenged in their ability to provide critical supports to individuals and families in need.

UWNYC will make individual grants of up to $10,000 to community-based organizations in areas hardest hit: the Rockaways, Staten Island, Coney Island, Red Hook, and the Lower East Side. UWNYC also has volunteers ready to support NYC nonprofits working to help their communities recover.

At Modest Needs, we understand that many thousands of low-income workers living in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are now facing a tremendous financial hardship due to the impact of Hurricane Sandy on their homes and places of employment.

The Joan Mitchell Foundation is asking that anyone who knows of a visual artist who has been affected by the hurricane to pleasecontact them. The Foundation has funding allocated specifically for emergency assistance to painters and sculptors affected by natural disasters. Additionally, they are making available information about other organizations that may be able to assist affected artists.

The deadline just passed on the Brooklyn Community Foundation Grant but we on the lookout for the next round.  “Grants from the Brooklyn Recovery Fund will respond to large-scale community-wide coordination work as well as more narrowly focused rebuilding and service provision efforts. This two-pronged approach allows the Fund to address immediate emergency needs while laying the groundwork for broad based, long-term community rebuilding.”

The City Parks Foundation has grants for community groups working in NYC parks to strengthen their outreach, membership, and program-planning capacity.

Recovery Grants:  In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, many people and communities are still struggling to recover from the damage caused by the storm. The Partnerships for Parks Recovery Grant supports community groups dedicated to parks with funding for capacity-building projects focused on storm recovery.  Grants range from $200 to $2,000 and are made on a rolling basis.

Citizens Committee for New York City 

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, small volunteer-led groups responded quickly to meet the needs of local residents.

Citizens Committee is awarding grants of up to $5,000 to volunteer-led groups providing relief to areas impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Groups may be long-standing, newly established or in the process of forming, and are not required to have non-profit or 501(c)(3) status. Groups without this status will need a fiscal conduit or a bank account if a grant is awarded. We are accepting applications on a rolling basis.

Hurricane Sandy Business Relief Workshop, Tues. Nov. 20

Hurricane Sandy Business Relief Workshop

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Brooklyn Borough Hall Community Room

209 Joralemon Street Brooklyn, NY 11201

(Between Court & Adams Streets)

 

COME LEARN FROM FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL AGENCIES WHAT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IS AVAILABLE TO HELP YOU

Featuring:
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
Federal Emergency Management Assistance (FEMA)
Empire State Development (ESD)
New York Business Development Corporation (NYBDC)
NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS)
NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC)
Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce
NYC Business Solutions
Brooklyn Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation (SBIDC)

 

RSVP not required.

For more information, please contact the Office of
Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez (718) 599-3658 ext. #12
Congressman Jerrold Nadler (718) 373-3198

Download the flyer here