“Don’t assume someone has already done so,” he said.
The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning and flood watch for the storm expected on Friday.
An announcement addressing the cleanup of the devastating storm that hit New York two weeks ago was given on Thursday at the OEM, where commissioners from the various agencies involved addressed the public.
The Sept. 16 storm produced two tornadoes and a macro burst in Flushing and Bayside, Queens, and Park Slope, Brooklyn. Winds that day exceeded 125 miles per hour, leaving 45,000 people without electricity and thousands of damaged trees. Following the storm, over 9,000 people called to report tree damage to 311 and calls continue to come.
“On Sept. 16 the City suffered the worst storm damage we’ve seen in decades and since then more than a dozen city, state, county, and federal agencies have undertaken a massive effort to clean up debris and begin to make repairs to sidewalks, parks, and playgrounds,” said Commissioner Bruno.
After having conducted a preliminary assessment, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) concluded that the city meets the threshold to apply for federal reimbursement for the storm cleanup. The assessment estimated it would cost $24.5 million to clean up the damage.
If Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island are granted Major Disaster Declaration status, public agencies stand to be reimbursed for their expenses. Bruno said small businesses do not qualify for reimbursement, but noted that 90 percent of those affected by the damage are insured.
Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe was in charge of all the agencies that worked on the cleanup.
“Years ago we only had the Parks Department cleaning up. This is an unprecedented team effort we’ve never had,” said Benepe.
He said the Parks Department currently has 700 staff on the ground, which is an increase from the 500 they had last week. So far, they have removed over 2,200 trees and have addressed over 7,000 311 reports.
The first priority was the emergency work, concentrating on the streets, houses, and sidewalks. They are just now getting to parks and playgrounds.
Benepe also warned New Yorkers that the Asian long-horned beetle remains a threat.
“Please don’t transport wood outside your neighborhood outside the quarantined zone,” he urged while noting the transport could cause devastation in other areas. He added that people wishing to help in the cleanup can volunteer at NYC Service and Parks or donate to the mayor’s fund at milliontreesNYC.org.
Department of Design and Construction Commissioner David Burney said that the estimated 1,200 sidewalks damaged by city trees will be repaired at no cost to homeowners but warned that this is a big task.
The undertaking is set to be completed in the coming six-to-eight weeks before winter arrives. Owners will be issued a notice on their door, indicating the evaluation is in process.
Homeowners can follow up on the status of their repair by calling 311 and stating the number on the issued notice.
