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Victims of an unforgiving one-two punch from superstorm Sandy and a nor'easter that both hit New York's Staten Island say FEMA has forgotten them.
Already without power for more than a week in the wake of Sandy, hard-hit residents of the borough's South Shore braved a winter storm Wednesday night, with many -- perhaps hundreds -- huddling in condemned homes and ignoring orders to evacuate out of fear looters would take what little Mother Nature has left them.
"FEMA packed up everything yesterday and left the area," said MaryLou Wong, whose home in the Midland Beach neighborhood was destroyed. "They haven't come back."
But they wont be notorious trailers used to house Hurricane Katrina victims in Louisiana. "When you say FEMA trailers, you harken back to Katrina," said FEMA administrator Craig Fugate, noting the agency no longer deploys the much-maligned trailers. The HUD-approved manufactured housing the governments name for the new mobile homes are on the way to New York and New Jersey as part of a larger effort to find housing for those made homeless by the storm.
FEMA officials have yet to determine exactly how many people have no place to live because of Sandy. So far, 56,000 people have been deemed eligible for housing help, including 48,000 in New Jersey. However, it is unclear how many of the eligible applicants have been placed in hotels, motels or apartments, FEMA officials said. Federal officials are looking for rental units and considering temporary repairs to some properties to make them habitable. The mobile homes are another option, Fugate said. "I think the majority of folks will be helped with rental assistance, which is faster and puts more money in the economy," Fugate said.
SANDY SCHOLARSHIP
Saint Peters University is looking for the heroes of Hurricane Sandy. The private college in Jersey City will announce Friday that it is offering $20,000 scholarships for up to 15 students who provided help to victims of the hurricane or volunteered in communities affected by the storm, school officials said. "Hurricane Sandy revealed the selfless side of so many Americans, as they tirelessly worked to help their neighbors in need," said Eugene Cornacchia, president of the university. "Our students were among these heroes, working late into the night collecting food and supplies and making care packages for those displaced."
Saint Peters students who live on campus are eligible for the scholarship, campus officials said. Each $20,000 scholarship can be used for tuition and housing at the Catholic university. Applicants have until Jan. 13 to apply.
SHUTTLES TO BRICK RESUME
In its study of how the fiscal cliff would affect typical families in each state, the Tax Foundation reports that if the numerous tax provisions that are due to expire on Dec. 31 are not changed, a four-person family in New Jersey with a median income of $101,682 will see its taxes go up at a rate 6.82 percent of its income, which translates into about $6,933. The tax issues in question are the expiration of the Bush tax rates, which also include the elimination of the 10 percent tax bracket and the reduced deduction for married filers; ending the 2 percent cut to employee-side Social Security taxes; and the Alternative Minimum Tax.
Maryland was ranked second by the Tax Foundation because a four-person family there, with a median income of $106,707, would see its taxes go up 6.74 percent as a percentage of income, or about $7,194. Connecticut, ranked third, would see taxes for a family of four go up by 6.62 percent, or $6,653. All five states with the top tax increases are “blue states,” which President Obama won in the 2012 presidential election. But so are four out of the bottom five states with the exception of Kansas.
Top Five Tax Increases Tax Increases as % of Income
#1 – New Jersey $6,933 6.82%
#2 – Maryland $7,194 6.74%
#3 – Connecticut $6,653 6.62%
#4 – Massachusetts $6,632 6.53%
#5 – New Hampshire $5,660 5.81%
Forty states would see tax increases between $3,000 and $3,999. Six states would see an increase between $4,000 and $4,999 and three would see increases between $6,000 and $6,999. New Hampshire would be the only state to see a tax increase between $5,000 and $5,999 and Maryland would be the only state to see a tax increase over $7,000.
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The agency’s solicitation is entitled “Modular ‘Stackable’ Interim Housing” and says, “The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to seek industry input regarding housing units intended for interim use by disaster survivors both nationwide and specifically the NY / NJ areas.” It further states that FEMA “is interested in gathering information on modular, ‘stackable’ housing unit designs appropriate for local weather, efficient use of limited ground space, and efficient installation (including utilities and stairways)." “Dwellings will sleep two to six adults,” FEMA said in its Request for Information, which has a subhead entitled, "Hurricane Sandy, Modular 'Stackable' Interim." (See RFI_Sandy_-_Stackable_v3_2012-11-14_(2)-2.pdf )
The request also states that the agency is looking for companies able to produce units that can be “stacked at least three high for occupancy.” FEMA is considering stackable units that can be converted into permanent housing, as well. The agency said the units could have “potential staging in Brooklyn docks.” Thousands of people have been displaced by Sandy and, following the storm, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said as many as 40,000 New Yorkers might have to be relocated. FEMA has provided $564 million to Sandy survivors in New York, including $531 million in housing grants, short-term rental assistance and home repair costs.
FEMA noted that the solicitation for the stackable lodging is not an official “Request for Proposal,” but that the agency is simply exploring their options and conducting market research. “The purpose of this RFI is to conduct market research only," reads the FEMA solicitation. "Responses provided will help inform FEMA and its partners, and should not be construed as unsolicited proposals to - or providing preference in any contracting activity with – FEMA." Hurricane Sandy made landfall in New Jersey and New York on Oct. 28-29, more than three weeks ago.
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