Pols Hail FEMA Agreement To Review Flood Claims
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and Southern Brooklyn City Councilman Mark Treyger hailed the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) decision last week to reopen and review every flood insurance claim–approximately 144,000–filed by Sandy victims, and not limit corrective action to just the 2,200 currently in litigation.
FEMA’s action came after the agency’s acknowledgement it failed to oversee a flood insurance program that cheated Superstorm Sandy victims out of much-needed funding to rebuild their homes.
“We thank FEMA Administrator Fugate for responding to our call that his agency review all flood insurance claims resulting from Superstorm Sandy, and we renew our appeal for every New Yorker that has been denied or underpaid on their claims to resubmit as soon as possible. His acknowledgment of the evidence that damage assessment reports have been fraudulently altered to deny or minimize payouts is unfortunately little solace to the homeowners and small businesses in Brooklyn who have been living through the ongoing nightmare of this natural, and now man-made, disaster,” Adams and Treyger said in a joint statement.
“We have been in contact with Attorney General Schneiderman on this issue, as he continues his criminal inquiry into this matter, and we reiterate our call today for the appointment of a special monitor to review every questionable case. Additionally, we thank our Congressional delegation for their ongoing leadership in ensuring tangible reform at FEMA to ensure that restitution comes to all impacted victims.”
Pols Nosh At COJO of Flatbush Breakfast
Sen. Charles Schumer and State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman led an A-list of elected officials that showed up yesterday at the COJO (Council of Jewish Organaizations) of Flatbush annual breakfast.
Among the electeds from Brooklyn that showed up and were honored were Assembly members Steven Cymbrowitz, Bill Colton, Dov Hikind and Rodneyse Bichotte, State Senator Marty Golden and City Council members Mark Treyger, David Greenfield and Chaim Deutsch. Also showing up was Queens Congresswoman Grace Meng, Public Advocate Letitia James, Staten Island District Attorney and congressional candidate Dan Donovan, and 43rd Assembly District Candidate Diana Richardson.
James, who is also the former Fort Greene City Councilwoman, had a particularly busy day as she left the breakfast to go to City Hall Park, where she organized a rally of parents, teachers, students and school advocates to demand the Gov. Cuomo give more money to fund the public schools stemming form the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit.
Also seen at the rally was Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon.
Bichotte Calls For Community Action After McDonalds Assault
Following last week’s incident in which six young women brutally assaulted a seventh at McDonald’s on Flatbush Avenue in an attack that was videoed and went viral on YouTube, Central Brooklyn Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte said she will begin a community outreach and conversation to get to the root causes of the incident.
“The young women involved in the assault have varied pasts that painfully illustrate how many of our children are being failed by our school system, our criminal justice system, our welfare system, and all civic establishments designed to give kids the chance to pursue a life of their choosing. We know at least one of the women has been arrested a half dozen times in the past year for a variety of assaults. Reports are slowly emerging that suggest that she is not the exception amongst these young women.
“Instead of casting blame and taking comfort in the arrest of four of the six involved in the assault, we must ask tough questions. How come no safety net caught these young women before their lives collided on March 12? How do we comprehensively address the shortcomings of our institutions to stave off other children from falling into the same circumstances? What can each of us do to improve our present circumstances?
“In the coming weeks, I will reach out to leaders across my district to discuss these questions and hear their thoughts on what can be done and what I can do on the matter. I encourage anyone to reach out to my office and myself to share your thoughts and ideas. No answers will come easily, but unless the dialogue begins, no progress or good will come from this sad chapter for our community,” she said.
