NYC Reconnects ISSUE TWO

RECONNECTING DOWNTOWN POST-SANDYVOLUME 1, NUMBER 2 NOV. 14 - NOV. 21 2012

As self-employed people who often work alone, New York’s artists were not the most visible casualties of Superstorm Sandy. Other business people were likely to have shops that were shuttered, goods that were strewn around, a horrifi c scar on their walls where the fl ood fi nally stopped.

Artists were more likely to have water-logged work and unpaid bills caused by sales they didn’t make, shows they couldn’t have, ruined materials they had to throw away. “It’s all so dispiriting,” one of them said. “Someone suggested grants. I don’t need a loan from FEMA, but I would be interested in learning about grants to artists or small businesses.

I wonder if there’s any help for someone like me?”

The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) would have been the obvious go-to source to answer that question but Sandy darkened their offi ce. “Thank you for the outpouring of concern about the impacts of Hurricane Sandy on LMCC and Lower Manhattan,” the LMCC says on its website, www.lmcc.net. “Due to Sandy-related fl ooding at 125 Maiden Lane, LMCC’s offi ce remains closed.”

Working remotely, the LMCC staff did post a list of emergency resources for artists, however. Some, such as disaster

unemployment insurance and small business disaster relief loans, would be available to anyone affected by Sandy. Some were specifi cally for artists.

The Joan Mitchell Foundation, whose offi ces were fl ooded and left with limited power and no telephones, posted a website message that said, “If you are - or know of - a visual artist who has been affected by the hurricane please contact us. The Foundation has funding allocated specifi cally for emergency assistance to painters and sculptors affected by natural disasters... We

Help for artists sideswiped by SandyBY TERESE LOEB KREUZER

Photo © 2012 Jay Fine

Sandy knocked out power on Liberty Island. Temporary LED lights now illuminate the Statue of Liberty.

IN THIS ISSUE

UNEMPLOYMENT . . . . . . . . . . 2

TRANSIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 & 5

CLOSINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

HEALTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

At 305 feet 6 inches tall from the base of her pedestal to her crown, the Statue of Liberty is the tallest freestanding statue in the United States. Atop her pedestal in New York harbor, she must have taken the full brunt of Sandy’s force.

Sandy knocked out the power on Liberty and Ellis Islands, which are closed indefi nitely. The storm destroyed the docks and the footpath around the Statue of Liberty, but so great was the genius of the designer of the Statue of Liberty, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, and of her engineer, Gustave Eiffel, that the statue emerged unscathed.

Dark for a few days after the storm, a team from the New Jersey contractor, Joseph A. Natoli Construction Corp., worked around the clock to restore temporary lighting to the statue’s torch and crown. By early evening on Friday, Nov. 9, they shone again. By Sunday morning, the Natoli crews working with subcontractor Turnpike Electric, Inc. had restored full power to the statue. The work was complicated by the fact that the docks that service the island had been shattered.

“The physical and logistical obstacles we faced with this project weren’t easily solved,” said Paul Natoli, president and C.E.O. of Joseph A. Natoli Construction Corp.

The Natoli company knows the Statue of Liberty well having just spent a year working on safety upgrades to the statue for the National Park Service. That work had just been fi nished in the days before Sandy came ashore.

Musco Lighting has provided temporary LED lights to illuminate the exterior of the Statue of Liberty until the permanent lighting on the grounds of Liberty Island can be replaced.

HARBOR CRUISES:Statue Cruises, which normally would

be running ferry service from Battery Park in Manhattan and Liberty Landing in New Jersey to Liberty and Ellis Islands, is now offering harbor cruises instead. One-hour-long cruises have a recorded narration and depart daily from Battery Park at 45-minute intervals between 10 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. Ninety-minute cruises run Thursday through Sunday, three times a day at noon, 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. with a live narrator. Both cruises have heated indoor viewing areas as well as outside decks. Snacks are available on the one-hour cruise. The longer cruise has a full-service café. For more information, go to www.statuecruises.com.

Statue of Liberty still standing, still shining

BY TERESE LOEB KREUZER

Continued on page 6

2 November 14 - November 21, 2012

Dr. Daniel Hunt is a board-certified colon and rectal surgeon who specializes in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer, laparoscopic colon surgery, transanal microscopic surgery, colorectal disorders, bowel dysfunction, and sphincter preservation for rectal cancer.

Dr. Hunt is a member of the Weill Cornell Medical team. He uses advanced procedures and treatment plans, combined with new technologies and microsurgery, to offer our patients improved safety, greater comfort and the preservation of normal bowel function.

Together with Dr. Joongho Shin, a fellowship-trained colon and rectal surgeon from Weill Cornell Medical Center/Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center with a focused interest in the surgical treatment of colon and rectal cancer, they will ensure our patients will receive the fullest support in their battle against colon and rectal cancer.

Dr. Shin is an expert in minimally-invasive approaches to treat colon and rectal cancer. His practice encompasses all aspects of the diseases of the small intestines, colon, rectum, and anus.

170 William Street, New York, NY 10038 www.downtownhospital.org

Please call (646) 898-4718

for an appointment.

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Jackie Goewey’s charming food emporium, Made Fresh Daily at 226 Front St., was soaked in eight feet of water by the time Superstorm Sandy departed, but with the help of her landlords, Christopher and Andrea White, Goewey is reopening. The Whites, who live upstairs, replaced the sheetrock walls and made some other repairs. Still, Goewey has had to replace her cooking and refrigeration equipment, her countertops and furnishings and estimates that she has lost $40,000 to $50,000 in income because of the storm.

Goewey previously employed 10 people. When she reopens daily on Thursday, Nov. 15 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., she will do it with one

part-time employee, one full-time manager and herself. At fi rst, she will be serving a limited menu of a few breakfast and lunch items and beverages.

She doesn’t know if or when she’ll be able to rehire her former staff. “We’re in the middle of a block that looks decimated,” she said. “I have to be comfortable that there will be enough business before I can take on more expense.”

Goewey’s phone is still not working. To contact her, email [email protected]. Her website is http://www.madefreshdailybakeshop.com.

— Terese Loeb Kreuzer

Made Fresh Daily reopens

New deadline for fed disaster insurance

The deadline to apply for federal disaster unemployment insurance (DUA) has been extended from Dec. 3, 2012 to Feb. 4, 2013. Disaster unemployment benefi ts are available to those who lost jobs because of Superstorm Sandy and who live or work in the Bronx, Kings, New York, Richmond, Queens, Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland and Westchester counties.

The minimum weekly DUA benefi t is $152 and the maximum is $405.

This program supplements New York’s existing unemployment insurance system and expands eligibility to include people who might otherwise not be covered such as the self-employed, farmers, seasonal workers, taxi drivers and those who have not been working long enough to apply for other unemployment compensation.

Some of the criteria for collecting disaster unemployment assistance include:

• Injury in the disaster and inability to work, whether self employed or an employee.

• Damaged or destroyed workplace.• Transportation to work not available

because of the disaster.• Inability to get to work because of

travel through the affected area, which is impossible due to disaster.

• Derived most of income from areas affected by the disaster, and business is closed or inoperable because of the disaster.

• Not otherwise eligible for regular unemployment benefi ts.

This list is not exhaustive. Anyone uncertain about eligibility should submit a claim to the New York State Department of Labor.

All applicants will be required to supply wage information and documentation supporting their application. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will help expedite the retrieval of lost or destroyed tax documents.

To apply for unemployment benefi ts or disaster unemployment assistance, claimants must fi rst fi le for regular unemployment insurance by calling the New York State Department of Labor at (888) 209-8124 or (877) 358-5306 for those who live out of state. Questions will be asked to indicate that the job loss was due to Superstorm Sandy. For more information about the program, go to http://www.labor.ny.gov/ui/2012-sandy-services.shtm.

NY Reconnects photo by Terese Loeb Kreuzer

Community Board 1 chair Catherine McVay Hughes in Made Fresh Daily.

3November 14 - November 21, 2012

Friday, November 16, 2012 • 6:00-8:00PM

NYU’s School of Law • Furman Hall, Rm 216 245 Sullivan Street, NY, NY 10012

The Village comes together to showcase an array of artistic

mediums in celebration of Edgar Allan Poe. Drama, readings,

songs, and artwork are just a few of the creative expressions

that will highlight the life and work of this great American

story teller.

Reception to follow in the Poe Room.

This event is free and open to the public.

Please bring photo ID for entry.

PLEASE RSVP NYU’s Office of Government & Community Affairs

212.998.2400 • [email protected].

SPONSORED BY NYU’s Office of Government & Community

Affairs and Lois Rakoff, Community Director of the Poe Room.

New York University’s

Office of Government &

Community Affairs and

Lois Rakoff, Community Director

of the Poe Room invite

you to join us for

Jerry Jones www.shadowhousecreations.blogspot.com

In the Shadows of POE


With the Downtown Community Center in ruins, a quartet that would normally perform at the community center played at Whole Foods.

On one side of Warren Street, the Downtown Community Center lay ruined after a 20-foot-tall surge of Superstorm Sandy water fl ooded its lower levels, twisting heavy metal doors like soda cans and leaving cheerful meeting rooms and studios a mass of unrecognizable rubble. On the other side of the street, a concert of Beethoven’s string quartets was about to begin on the second fl oor of Whole Foods. Bob Townley, executive director of the community center, opened the concert with a description of the millions of dollars it would take to rebuild. Then he turned the program over to Jim Hopkins, director of development, who introduced the music and the musicians.

In a room not meant to function as a concert hall, people listened intently. A little girl intuited that she was listening to dance music and unselfconsciously stamped her feet and moved her arms in graceful circles.

Usually, the quartet would have played at the community center. Now, that would be impossible for the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, the music seemed necessary.

With everything destroyed and with every reason to be disheartened, Beethoven’s music was a resonant link from the past to the present. If there

could be a past, there could also be a future.

In times of crisis, artists are often able to express what others feel but can’t articulate. Art, more necessary than ever, becomes a form of defiance.

Many people still remember the cellist of Sarajevo. His name was Vedran Smailović and he had played with the Sarajevo Opera, the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra and other renowned musical groups in his country. During the Bosnian War of Independence, Sarajevo was under siege for four years. Smailović regularly played his cello in the ruined buildings. Subsequently, composer David Wilde wrote a solo cello piece in his honor that was recorded by Yo Yo Ma.

In this, the second issue of NYC Reconnects, we describe resources to help artists weather the destruction that Sandy dished out, and we describe a piece of art that she couldn’t destroy — the Statue of Liberty in our harbor who withstood Sandy’s violence. Though many New Yorkers have suffered so much because of Superstorm Sandy and will continue to suffer expensive and in some cases, irreparable losses, the Statue in our harbor symbolizes the determination and power that have defi ned this city. It is no small thing that the statue’s light still shines.

Terese Loeb KreuzerAssociate Editor, NYC Reconnects

EditorialCRISES AND ART


TRANSIT

LIMITED REOPENING OF BROOKLYN-BATTERY TUNNELThe Hugh L. Carey Brooklyn-Battery

Tunnel, which runs under the East River, connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn, reopened for limited rush-hour bus service Monday morning.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) express buses from Brooklyn and Staten Island are using a lane of one of the tunnel’s two tubes for inbound service from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., and for outbound service from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The tunnel will remain closed at other times as crews continue their round-the-clock work to repair extensive fl ooding damage.

Superstorm Sandy fl ooded the tunnel with an estimated 43 million gallons of salt water that corroded the electrical equipment, lighting, communications, surveillance and ventilation systems.

Express buses are using one lane of the eastern tube, which usually carries Manhattan-bound traffi c. The other lane of that tube is being used to stage repair and recovery equipment. Lighting in the tube is limited and is being supplemented with emergency illumination.

The western tube, which usually carries Brooklyn-bound traffi c, suffered more

extensive damage and is still being emptied of water in air ducts below the roadway surface. There is no estimate as to when the western tube will reopen.

At 9,117 feet, the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel is the longest continuous underwater vehicular tunnel in North America. It opened to traffi c in 1950.

MTA SUBWAY AND BUS INFORMATION

For the most up-to-date information on New York City bus and subway service, go to www.mta.info.

In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has managed to restore some service on most of the city’s 2,047 miles of subway track. Several lines are still only partially operational, however.

There are no No. 1 trains between Rector Street and South Ferry, which was heavily damaged by fl ooding.

On the A train, service has resumed between the 207th Street station and the Howard Beach-JFK Airport station. Shuttle buses will only run from the Howard Beach Station-JFK Airport station to the Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue station, where customers can take the Q22 bus, which

will make nearby station stops between the Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue station and the Rockaway Park-Beach 116th Street station.

There is no train service in either direction between the Howard Beach-JFK Airport station and the Rockaways.

J and Z trains are operating between the Jamaica Center station and the Chambers Street station.

There is still no R service between Manhattan and Brooklyn. R trains are running in two sections between the Forest Hills-71st Avenue station and the 34th Street-Herald Square station and also between the Jay Street-MetroTech station and the Bay Ridge-95th Street station, making all local stops.

The shuttle train to Rockaway Park has been suspended.

PATHPATH is operating limited rail service daily

between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. from Newark, N.J. and the 33rd Street station in Manhattan.

On the New Jersey side of the Hudson River, stations are open at Newark-Penn Station, Harrison, Journal Square, Grove Street and Newport. In Manhattan, the 9th Street station is open for exit only during the morning rush hours between 5 a.m. and

9:30 a.m. After 9:30 a.m. until the station closes at 10 p.m., passengers can both enter and exit that station.

The PATH trains are also stopping at 14th, 23rd and 33rd Streets. The Christopher Street station, which dates from 1908, remains closed for reasons of safety. It was not designed to handle large crowds and has only one entrance and exit.

There is still no PATH service between Hoboken, Exchange Place and the World Trade Center. An unprecedented amount of fl ooding damaged all of these stations, knocking out equipment used for signaling and train control. Superstorm Sandy caused more fl ooding in the tunnels between Exchange Place and the World Trade Center than the terrorist attack of 9/11.

NEW FERRY SERVICETo help compensate for some of

the PATH closures, a new ferry service operated by NY Waterway in conjunction with NJ Transit started on Monday from the Hoboken Ferry Terminal to Pier 79 at West 39th Street in Manhattan. The ferry runs from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, leaving every 10 minutes. The round-trip fare of $10 includes free NY Waterway shuttle bus

Much progress but still large gaps in service


service for further travel in Manhattan. A special ticket booth has been set up at the Hoboken Train Terminal to sell tickets for this service.

This ferry will operate until further notice.In addition to this new ferry, customers

can still use previously established ferry service between Hoboken and the ferry terminal in Battery Park City. To get to Pier 11 at the foot of Wall Street on the East Side of Manhattan, customers can take the

Light Rail from Hoboken, which connects with the Paulus Hook and Liberty Harbor ferries, both of which stop at Pier 11.

LONG ISLAND RAIL ROADWith the reopening of two fl ooded

Amtrak tunnels under the East River, the MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) began operating a weekday schedule on Monday, Nov. 12, on 10 of its 11 branches.

The temporary repairs, which allowed

the tunnels to be reopened, reduce the number of trains that can travel through the tunnels. As a result, this schedule will include canceled and/or diverted trains during the morning and evening rush hours through the end of the year. Amtrak will continue to make permanent repairs to the signal system for the two impacted tunnels.

The new weekday schedule represents an average 70 percent of the LIRR’s

regular rush hour capacity. Nineteen of the LIRR’s 143 morning rush hour trains have been canceled or diverted to another terminal. In the evening rush hour, of the 127 trains the LIRR operates, 23 have been canceled. Overall, across the entire day, the adjustments provide for 83 percent of normal weekday service capacity.

Train service on the Long Beach Branch remains suspended with bus service operating beginning at 5 a.m. between Long Beach and Lynbrook, where train connections can be made.

To reopen the two damaged tunnels, Amtrak is using a temporary signal sequence while the various components of the permanent signal system are removed, repaired and replaced. Amtrak estimates that the repair to the salt water-damaged signal system is not likely to be completed before the end of the year. The LIRR has been in close contact with Amtrak on the repair plan and effort.

Beginning Nov. 12, new timetables went into effect and full fares were charged on all trains, including higher onboard fares for passengers who didn’t buy tickets in advance, except at stations where the ticket vending machine was not operating due to the storm impact and/or a ticket window wasn’t open.

Some trains are likely to be crowded. Customers are advised to expect 10 to 15 minute delays.

Weekend service is expected to be unaffected since a smaller number of trains operate on the weekends.

NEWAMSTERDAMMARKET

WE STAND WITHLOWER MANHATTAN

Monday’s storm devastated Seaport homes and small businesses. We are learning what can be done

to help our neighborhood. Visit our website for updates. newamsterdammarket.org


A new NY Waterway ferry service connects Hoboken and midtown Manhattan.


know that communication for many is very limited now, but our staff can be reached by email at: [email protected].”

The Pollock-Krasner Foundation was another resource mentioned by the LMCC. Like Mitchell, Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock were American Abstract Expressionists whose work was widely acclaimed in the 1950s, leaving them with enough money to help the artists who came after them.

“Deeply concerned for the welfare of artists affected by the Hurricane Sandy disaster, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation is currently accepting emergency requests for grants to professional visual artists, which will be expedited under the Foundation’s guidelines,” the website says.

The Foundation’s website, www.pkf.org has an online application and also lists a phone number (212-517-5400).

Recognizing that artists often live fi nancially precarious lives at best, and that the deprivations of Sandy could have left them without even the most basic necessities, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation promises that all requests will be promptly addressed. “A completed application form, cover letter, exhibition history and 10 images of your work (jpegs or photos of work will be accepted) will be needed to be considered for our

emergency grants.”In fi scal year 2010-2011, the Pollock-Krasner

Foundation, Inc. made 95 grants totaling $1,545,000 to an international array of visual artists and organizations. The grants could be used to support the artists’ personal and/or professional expenses for one year.

The New York Foundation for the Arts (www.nyfa.org), another organization from the LMCC’s fi le, has a section on its website called “Art Specifi c Sandy Recovery Resources.” Multi-disciplinary, it lists emergency assistance funds for musicians, actors and arts organizations as well as for visual artists.

It mentions a Brooklyn lawyer named Sergio Munoz Sarmiento who specializes in art and entertainment law and who is willing to consult on the telephone with New York State-based visual artists and arts nonprofi ts about lost or damaged artworks and damage to studios or living areas. “There are no charges for the call,” he says. “Rather, I just want to make my services available for any artist who is at a loss as to what rights they have or how they should proceed in getting compensated for their losses.” His phone number is (347) 763-2023. His website is artlawoffi ce.com.

Not everything that got in Sandy’s way need be declared a total loss, however. The New York Foundation for the Arts website also lists organizations that will consult with artists on how to salvage their water-soaked work.

Friday, November 16, 2012, 1pm-5 pm

CitizenshipApplication AssistanceFREE

Experienced lawyers and immigration professionals will assist you with your application.

You must meet the following requirements:• Reside in the United States as a permanent resident for

five years (three years if living with and married to the same U.S. citizen)

• Live in the United States for half of the five or three year period

• You are at least 18 years old

What to bring:• Green card and all passports since obtaining green card

• Home addresses for the last five or three years

• Children’s information (date of birth, A#, addresses)*

• School/Employment history for the last five or three years*

• Marital history/criminal history*

*(If applicable)

Applicants pay a $680 filing fee to USCIS. Please do not bringthis fee to this event. To apply for fee waiver, bring as many ofthese items as applicable:• Copy of award letter from the state or federal agency granting

the benefit, e.g., SSI award letter and/or budget letter

• Copy of benefits cards

• Copy of IRS tax returns for the most recent tax year

invite you to attend

cuny.edu/citizenshipnowDIRECTIONS: hopstop.com or call (718) 330-1234

Baruch College, Vertical CampusMultipurpose Room, 1-10755 Lexington Avenue New York, NY 10010

To RSVP, please call on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 212-568-4679ONLY FIRST 75 WILL BE SERVED

Baruch College/International Student Service Center and Council Member Rosie Mendez

Closed & reopened

PASANELLA AND SON VINTNERS

Pasanella and Son Vintners at 115 South St. took on more than six feet of water when Superstorm Sandy surged through the South Street Seaport. But with the help of volunteers “who just showed up,” in Marco Pasanella’s words, he and his staff managed to stow much of the inventory on the upper floors of the building and have been able to reopen. The hours are Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays, noon to 7 p.m. Call (646) 460-2632 for more information.

Pasanella says he estimates that he lost around 10,000 bottles of wine and is now trying to fi gure out how much to reorder. “We can’t just sit around with an empty store,” he says, but the problem is that so many of the Seaport’s residents are gone and many of the businesses on Water Street are shuttered. On his website (www.pasanellandson.com), Pasanella says, “Many of you have asked how you can help. Here’s one suggestion: buy a gift certifi cate!”

CIGAR LANDING

In some places, smokers get a bad rap, but not at Cigar Landing, where men and a few women happily settle into comfortable lounge chairs and blow smoke rings. The cozy cigar store at 150 Beekman St. reopened on Nov. 9 with a poker night. “We’d like to express our extreme gratitude to everyone who’s come by to support us in recent days, as we continue to recover from Hurricane Sandy,” said Andy Oh, one of the owners. “It’s going to be a long, hard struggle, especially since most of the other businesses in the area will not be operational for a while.” The store’s website is www.cigarlanding150.com. It’s also on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/CigarLanding) and Twitter @CigarLanding150. For more information, call (917) 975-7763.

Post-Sandy help for artistsContinued from page 1


NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR 2 YEAR OLDS THROUGH 5TH GRADE. JOIN US FOR AN OPEN HOUSE ON OCTOBER 30TH OR NOVEMBER 13TH. For more information and to request an application visit www.blueschool.org or call 212.228.6341

Pints and shotsHEALTH

BLOOD DONORS NEEDED

Because of Superstorm Sandy, blood is now in short supply in the New York City area, eliciting a cry for help from the New York Blood Center (NYBC).

The non-profi t organization, which serves more than 20 million people in the greater New York City area and in neighboring states, projects a shortfall of up to 12,000 units in the next month because of storm damage to collection facilities.

According to the NYBC, one in seven people entering a hospital needs a blood transfusion. At the moment, hospital needs are continuing to be met but the NYBC is worried because previously scheduled blood drives at schools, churches and workplaces have been cancelled.

The shelf life of platelets is only fi ve days, the NYBC says. The shelf life of red blood cells is 42 days. Presently there is an urgent need for platelet donors and for donors of O negative blood.

Donors must be at least 17 years old (16 years old with appropriate written permission in New York State or consent in New Jersey from their parent or legal guardian), weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good health. Donors aged 16 to 18 are also subject to additional height/weight restrictions. Donors aged 76 and older can continue to donate blood if they meet all donor criteria and present a physician’s letter allowing them to donate.

Some medications and medical conditions can affect donor eligibility. These are spelled out on the NYBC website at http://www.nybloodcenter.org/index.jsp?sid0=68. For more information, go to the website or call (800) 933-2566.

The website lists the locations of donation centers and blood drives. In Lower Manhattan, Brookfi eld Offi ce Properties, the owner of the World Financial Center in Battery Park City, has scheduled a blood drive for Thursday, Nov. 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the West Street lobby of 3 World Financial Center. Appointments can be pre-scheduled by calling the Brookfi eld management offi ce at (212) 417-7222 or (212) 417-7180 but walk-ins are also welcome.

TETANUS SHOTS

Because of widespread vaccination, tetanus is now so rare in the United States that many people may not be aware of its dangers. The bacteria that cause tetanus are present in dust, soil and manure and enter the body through puncture wounds or cuts. Inside the body, they produce toxins that cause painful muscle contractions in the neck and abdomen, which are often called “lockjaw,” and can impair breathing. Left untreated, tetanus can be fatal.

People engaged in Superstorm Sandy cleanup work could easily get deep cuts or

wounds and come into contact with soil or dirty materials that make them vulnerable to tetanus.

Emergency responders, volunteers and residents working on repair, construction and cleanup projects should check to make sure they have been immunized for tetanus within the last 10 years. If they are not up-to-date with the immunization or are unsure of the date of their last tetanus-containing vaccination, they should obtain a tetanus booster.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed an Executive Order making it easier for people in areas affected by Superstorm Sandy to be vaccinated against tetanus.

Pharmacists will now be allowed to administer tetanus shots at their place of business, and emergency medical technicians and dentists will be able to assist city or county health departments in administering tetanus vaccines.

The New York State Health Department and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene urge people to contact their primary health care provider fi rst to receive a tetanus booster shot. If they can’t reach their primary care provider or get to that person’s offi ce, pharmacies would be the next best alternative. New York City residents can call 311 to locate a vaccination site.

In addition to following safety guidelines to prevent injuries during cleanup or construction activities, all wounds and cuts should be washed thoroughly with soap and water. Medical attention should be sought for puncture wounds and lacerations. People who do sustain injuries and have not had a tetanus booster in the past fi ve years should be revaccinated as part of treatment for the injury.

SANITATION:

RECYCLING RESUMES

The New York City Department of Sanitation is now, once again, picking up paper and cardboard, metals, plastic and glass for recycling. Recycling collection resumed on Sunday, Nov. 11, after having been halted in the immediate aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

Sanitation crews have collected more than 225,000 tons of trash, debris and trees since the storm cleanup began.

Citywide recycling collections were temporarily suspended to allow for needed repairs to recycling centers and for the redeployment of sanitation workers to the hardest-hit neighborhoods of Staten Island, southern Brooklyn and Queens.

Collection and debris removal continues in these neighborhoods around the clock.


Documents

NYC Reconnects ISSUE TWO