Your Friendly Neighborhood Shark in New Jersey
This Friday news update is, of course, all Sandy related. As we sat down to write this, we attempted to create a news update talking about other relevant news going on in the world. But, like most New Yorkers, our lives are dominated by the impact of the storm and it’s quite difficult to think about anything else. Our own building at 120 Wall Street (right at water’s edge) is still flooded with water.
What is happening to the hundreds of tenants we work with? How have their homes held up during the storm? How will we help tenants to address the almost certainly disastrous water and wind damage in already distressed and ignored buildings? Like many others, our first concern is how to contact those we work with while our common means of communication are down.
- If you are interested in hearing stories of people directly impacted in Red Hook, Brooklyn, check out this interesting collection of interviews by the people at Housing is a Human Right.
- There are tons of volunteer opportunities for those who want to get involved with the relief efforts. We recommend joining up with the amazing work that CAAAV is doing in China Town. With no electricity or water, thousands of people are trapped in their apartments. Thanks to CAAAV’s dynamic organizing and immediate response, the community is responding and helping itself through this difficult period. Click here for more. Here’s some more info on how to help from WNYC. If you can, do.
- Grim scenes from New York City’s flooded subway system graced The Atlantic Cities today. All together now: “I solemnly swear I will never, ever, ever take the largest, most effective public transportation system in the country for granted ever again.”
- Finally, in an attempt at a non-Sandy related piece of information, check out these fascinating maps from Planet Money, illustrating where super PACs and outside groups spend their money to influence presidential campaigns.
As people remain stranded and missing, the death toll across New York City and New Jersey is still rising. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of victims of this terrible storm. But given the widespread destruction, the death toll of this terrible storm has been relatively low, and we’re thankful to our emergency workers and first responders that are doing their jobs and doing them well.
Stay tuned and help if you can.
Cea Weaver
Danielle Siegel
elisegoldin
kerri.e.white
TheSurRealEstate
