By Forum Staff

The Assembly this week approved the New York State Abandoned Property Relief Act of 2016, designed to combat “zombie” properties through foreclosure protections and a new state-wide registry.

With zombie properties, according to the legal guidance network Nolo, the homeowner moves out after foreclosure has been started, but for some reason the foreclosure is cancelled, the sale is never held, or title is never officially transferred to a new owner. As a result, title remains in the homeowner’s name.

Often, zombie foreclosures occur in low-income areas where the lender is not anxious to assume responsibility for the upkeep of the property and wants to save on taxes, as well as other costs. If squatters occupy the residence or it falls into severe disrepair, the bank may simply wash its hands of the property.

Developed in conjunction with the office of State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, the Abandoned Property Relief Act aims to facilitate early detection and maintenance of vacant and abandoned residential properties, as well as:

Expand the existing duty of a mortgagee to maintain vacant residential real property to include “pre-foreclosure” vacant properties; require periodic inspections to determine whether properties secured by a delinquent mortgage have actually been abandoned; allow localities and the attorney general to enforce the maintenance of property requirements; and create a statewide registry for abandoned residential property under the supervision of the state AG and a toll-free hotline for community residents to report the presence of such properties.

“Zombie properties are a plague on our community that drives down property values, threatens public health and undermines the character of our neighborhoods,” Goldfeder said. “For families still struggling to recover from [Superstorm] Sandy, they are also a constant, painful reminder of everything we lost in the disaster. When it becomes law, the abandoned property relief act will finally give communities the tools to fight these zombie properties and give families some much-needed relief.”

The growth of vacant zombie properties has affected many New York communities in recent years. Last year, the Attorney General’s office estimated that there were as many as 16,700 homes in foreclosure across the state. This problem has been compounded by the devastation of Sandy, which left many homes abandoned and unmaintained in the months and years after the storm.

“Here in southern Queens and Rockaway, we pride ourselves on the character of our neighborhoods. Fighting these abandoned properties will help us fully recover from Sandy and make our communities even stronger,” Goldfeder said. “I urge the Senate to act as soon as possible to make this legislation a reality for our families.”

By Michael V. Cusenza

Prior to 2012, June 1, for most city residents, was just another date on the calendar.

That was, however, life before Superstorm Sandy – before Mother Nature tore a hole in parts of the Big Apple, including southern Queens and Rockaway, forever altering the everyday for some and creating a new normal in which the first day of June is the first day of Atlantic hurricane season, not simply another box on a calendar.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last week issued its 2016 hurricane season (June 1 – Nov. 30) forecast. The term will most likely be “near-normal,” according to the NOAA Climate Prediction Center, but forecast uncertainty in the climate signals that influence the formation of Atlantic storms make predicting this season particularly difficult, the agency added.

“This is a more challenging hurricane season outlook than most because it’s difficult to determine whether there will be reinforcing or competing climate influences on tropical storm development,” said Dr. Gerry Bell, lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at the Climate Prediction Center. “However, a near-normal prediction for this season suggests we could see more hurricane activity than we’ve seen in the last three years, which were below normal.”

NOAA predicts a 70 percent likelihood of 10 to 16 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which four to eight could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including one to four major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of 111 mph or higher). While a near-normal season is most likely with a 45 percent chance, according to the NOAA, there is also a 30 percent chance of an above-normal season and a 25 percent chance of a below-normal season. Included in the 2016 outlook is Hurricane Alex, a pre-season storm that formed over the far eastern Atlantic in January.

Additionally, Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, NOAA administrator, called 2016 “a banner year” for NOAA and the National Weather Service.

“As our Hurricane Forecast Improvement Program turns five, we’re on target with our five-year goal to improve track and intensity forecasts by 20 percent each,” she said. “Building on a successful supercomputer upgrade in January, we’re adding unprecedented new capabilities to our hurricane forecast models — investing in science and technology infusion to bring more accuracy to hurricane forecasts in 2016.”

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Michael V. Cusenza

If government malfeasance, rampant and blatant violations of the public trust, or greed at the expense of the downtrodden make you want to put your fist through water-logged sheetrock, then stay away from the Frontline/National Public Radio special report “The Business of Disaster.”

The piece, which debuted on Tuesday night, takes a look at what happens when the wind and rain die down and it’s time to assess the damage. Specifically, reporter Laura Sullivan examines the aftermath of Mother Nature’s malevolent 2012 masterpiece Superstorm Sandy, and who stands to actually gain from another’s loss.

“My instructions to federal agencies: Cut through the red tape and bureaucracy,” President Barack Obama said shortly after the storm eviscerated parts of the city, including many south Queens communities. “Get the resources to the people that need it.”

About that “red tape and bureaucracy,” Mr. President…

“I should be at home in my house and part of my community, and instead I’m out here doing this,” said a visibly frustrated Doug Quinn, whose Toms River, N.J., home was destroyed by Sandy.

Quinn’s story is alarmingly not unique. His $250,000 flood insurance policy only paid out $90,000 – not remotely close to what he needed to rebuild his house and life.

“My back was against the wall, because I knew something was wrong,” Quinn said.

So he hired an attorney.

The report goes on to rehash the fraudulent scheme made public by whistle-blowing building engineers. Private engineering companies purposefully altered reports so as to not fully reflect the true impact and damage caused by Sandy to New Yorkers’ homes, which led to the unjust denial or underpayment of flood insurance claims. Hundreds of flood-damage reports were allegedly falsified, and both engineering firms and insurance companies were placed under investigation by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman for possible criminal conduct.

“I never saw anything worse in my entire life,” said John Houghtaling, a New Orleans attorney who previously fought the Federal Emergency Management Agency and insurance companies after Hurricane Katrina – and won (and won, and won, and won…) “They’re making up fake facts to come up with exclusions.”

As a result, federal officials announced that FEMA had agreed to reopen and review every flood insurance claim—approximately 144,000—filed by Sandy victims.

FEMA takes a beating in “The Business of Disaster.” But the agency is not alone. Insurance companies, represented here by a single spokesman, spend a prolonged period of time in the barrel during the one-hour report.

Sullivan said she pored over documents trying to figure out just how much money insurance companies clocked after Sandy, as, strangely, none of them wished to divulge their profit margin. She believes that altogether they made more than $400 million.

“They can’t begin to fathom the amount of financial wreckage they’ve created for average people,” said Quinn, who was able to get his claim reviewed – but legal fees ate up most of the adjusted payout. “It makes me angry to see these people profiting unfairly off other people’s misery. We’re average, middle-class people…and we’re in ruins.”

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Michael V. Cusenza

The City’s Superstorm Sandy employment initiative will be making additional free pre-apprenticeship training opportunities available to low- and middle-income residents of Sandy-impacted areas, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced last week.

For the first time, select Sandy Recovery Workforce1 pre-apprenticeship training programs will host certain classes in these Sandy-impacted communities, de Blasio noted last Friday.

“Since the beginning, we have been committed not just to our recovery, but to providing opportunities to New Yorkers in our hardest-hit neighborhoods,” he added. “Build it Back has thus far connected 680 Sandy-impacted New Yorkers to high-quality employment, including many to the construction trades through union pre-apprenticeship vouchers. We are now increasing our capacity so that more Sandy-impacted New Yorkers can access these life changing opportunities.”

De Blasio launched Sandy Recovery Workforce1 in 2014 as part of an overhaul of the City’s Build it Back program and larger reconstruction effort. The program is part of the broader mission of the Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery Operations to connect Sandy-impacted residents with careers in the unionized construction industry and jobs related to the recovery and rebuilding of these communities. According to the administration, residents from the affected communities have been hired through Workforce1 and Build it Back for jobs such as construction managers, procurement managers, residential construction inspectors, administrative assistants, and customer service representatives.

Through the Sandy Recovery Hiring Plan, the de Blasio administration has urged recovery construction managers to hire locally. They have been encouraged to work with community groups and job-training programs to identify candidates for construction-related work.

As a result of collaboration between the City, the NYC Building and Construction Trades Council and pre-apprenticeship training providers, New Yorkers will be able to enroll in designated classes, de Blasio said.

The pre-apprenticeship offerings include: a class in May which will have its first week hosted in the Rockaway Workforce1 Career Center on Rockaway Beach Boulevard, run by The Edward J. Malloy Initiative for Construction Skills; a class in June run by NYC District Council of Carpenters Building Works open to Sandy-impacted communities; and a class in July for women in Sandy-impacted communities run by Nontraditional Employment for Women.

Additionally, HRO indicated that Sandy Recovery Workforce1 will continue its partnership with New York City Helmets to Hardhats, which serves as a direct entry pathway into construction unions for veterans. Each provider has State Department of Labor-approved direct entry agreements with DOL-registered and City Building and Construction Trade Council-affiliated apprenticeship programs.

All pre-apprenticeship vouchers are funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery Program. To date, according to the administration, 84 vouchers have been distributed and 66 people have graduated from the programs using our vouchers, preparing them for union work as roofers, metal lathers, painters, laborers, and carpenters.

Residents in Sandy-impacted ZIP codes interested in taking advantage of the pre-apprenticeship opportunities should visit their nearest Sandy Recovery Workforce1 office at sandyrecoveryopportunities.com. Sandy-impacted Queens ZIP codes are: 11102, 11414, 11420, 11422, 11433, 11434, 11691, 11692, 11693, 11694, and 11697.

By Michael V. Cusenza

A Brooklyn city councilman has introduced a piece of legislation, part of a larger package of bills, that seeks to protect property owners, lessees, or occupants from receiving fines and penalties from the Department of Buildings while City-operated natural-disaster recovery programs are evaluating, or have already scheduled their properties for repair and/or remediation.

The proposed legislation introduced last week by Councilman Mark Treyger (D-Brooklyn), chairman of the Committee on Recovery and Resiliency, would also create a reimbursement program for anyone who has already been forced to pay a penalty. The bill’s parameters are likely to be expanded to include violations received from other city agencies, including the Department of Sanitation, Treyger noted.

The bill would provide help to many who have dealt with, or are still dealing with, related issues stemming from the effects of Superstorm Sandy, and would also ensure that a fair enforcement policy is already in place in the event of future disasters, he added.

“People waiting for assistance from the City’s Build It Back program should not be issued a violation by the Department of Buildings and forced to pay a fine simply because the program had not yet repaired their property. It undermines the public’s trust, faith and willingness to participate in recovery programs,” Treyger said. “Nobody should be left worse off by the recovery process than if they never participated in it at all, and the onus should be on the City and contractors to comply with rules and regulations related to Sandy recovery work, not residents. When the City makes you wait for repairs, you should not be penalized for it. And, when the City hires a contractor to perform recovery work on your house, you should not be penalized if the City or its contractor fails to do the work properly.”

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

Talk about adding insult to injury.

A Long Island contractor and his construction company have been charged with stealing more than $175,000 from victims whose Breezy Point homes were destroyed by Superstorm Sandy in October 2012 and who had contracted with the man to build their new homes, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

Andrew Troiano, 51, of Maple Grove, and his corporation, Alt Design & Construction Consulting Inc., which at the time of the alleged crimes had offices in West Hempstead and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Troiano and his corporation were arraigned last Wednesday night on a criminal complaint charging each of them with violating New York State Lien Law 79-A-1 (second- and third-degree misappropriation of funds of trust), second-, third- and fourth-degree grand larceny and first-degree scheme to defraud.  Troiano, who faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted, was released on his own recognizance and ordered to return to court on Feb. 2.

In the case of Alt Design & Construction Consulting, conviction of a felony is punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 or double the amount of the illegal gain.

According to the criminal charges, following the destruction of their Graham Place home during Superstorm Sandy, a Breezy Point couple hired Alt Design & Construction as their contractor on July 23, 2013, to purchase and construct a modular home which would be erected on their property.  The payment of the contractor’s price was spread out over time and payment became due based on specified acts listed in the contract. For example, it is alleged that a payment of $63,750 was due to Alt Design upon completion of the concrete foundation by a subcontractor. When the couple received an invoice from Alt Design for the completed foundation, it is alleged that they paid the company with a check dated March 31, 2014, for $63,750 and that said check cleared their account and was to be used by Alt Design for no other purpose than to pay for the foundation job.

According to the complaint, Troiano hired Malbro Construction as a subcontractor in November 2013 to install a concrete foundation and perform other construction services at the Breezy Point couple’s Graham Place location. During the course of performing the job, Malbro Construction allegedly received a partial payment of $13,000 from Alt Design, and that when the job was completed on or about April 30, 2014, Alt Design had an outstanding balance of $49,182 owed to Malbro Construction.  A demand by Malbro Construction for payment from Alt Design allegedly resulted in no further payments and that although the defendants never disputed the payment due, to date, they have not paid any of the outstanding balance due.

The complaint alleges that, in all, three families became victims of Troiano and his company.

A forensic review of Alt Design’s bank records allegedly revealed that a total of $178,750 was received from the three Breezy Point homeowners and credited to Troiano’s account, but no payments were ever made to the subcontractors.  And after a Breezy Point couple living on Hillside Avenue paid $55,000 to Alt Design for the ordering of their modular house, the money was used by Troiano and the company for unrelated matters, including cash withdrawals totaling more than $8,000, payments for unrelated jobs, payments to attorneys, Cablevision, Verizon Wireless, Goodyear Auto and purchases at various liquor stores and restaurants.

On Thumbtack.com, a website that delivers customized quotes so consumers can compare pricing, read reviews, and hire professionals, a user with the handle “Gina Haggerty H.” posted a one-star review on Alt Design’s page on Nov. 23: “Gave a deposit and he didn’t do a thing! We are a young couple who lost their home in sandy and he stole our money!”

User “Andrew L. from ALT Design & Construction, Inc.” replied on Dec. 10: “Mrs. Haggerty forgot to tell you that her project is being litigated with the court system. She does not answer her certified, and also feels that our company should pay for her engineering fees.”

By Michael V. Cusenza

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

Gov. Andrew Cuomo gives his 2014 State of the State address in Albany last week. Photo courtesy NYS Governor’s Office

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s annual remarks have some of Queens’ influential voices cautiously optimistic for the days ahead.

State Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) referred to the governor’s 2014 State of the State address as a loose roadmap for legislators across New York and said this year’s trail may lead to progress.

For more than an hour, the governor detailed a robust agenda for the new year, touching on economic reforms, government corruption and bettering the state’s education standing. Cuomo said the high points of his 2014 agenda including transforming a $10 billion state deficit into a $2 billion surplus, reducing unemployment, creating nearly 400,000 new private sector jobs, improving the state’s credit standing with all three rating agencies and increasing exports by 15 percent.

“This one was very interesting,” Addabbo said. “There are things that I’ll certainly take and agree with, like cleaning up Albany, ethics reform and universal pre-k. They are all very important to many of my constituents.”

The southern Queens senator said he often refers to the annual State of the State address come June when the legislative session is preparing to wrap up so he can track the state’s progress. When asked about the governor’s execution of his 2013 agenda, Addabbo said there were some bright spots – sweeping reforms to gun laws – and dark spots – progress in women’s rights.

Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan (D-Ridgewood) echoed the senator’s sentiments, throwing her support behind the governor’s education agenda.

“As chair of the Assembly Education Committee, we need sustainable and effective universal pre-k and after-school programs in New York,” she said in a statement. “As the only member of the assembly appointed to the governor’s education reform task force I participated in hearings around our state, I know every child deserves a good education, and parents should have support in being able to effectively balance work and family.”

Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Rockaway Beach) said the governor’s remarks on Superstorm Sandy were particularly important to him. In his address, Cuomo recognized the changing climate and vowed to continue supporting relief efforts as well as a more proactive approach to devastating storms.

“The governor spent a lot of time talking about Sandy recovery,” Goldfeder said. “I’m excited about the infusion of new state resources to make sure our families get back on their feet.”

But on the community level, the reactions to Cuomo’s promises were met with a bit more caution. Community Board 6 District Manager Frank Gulluscio of the Forest Hills-Rego Park area said the governor’s enthusiasm and ambitions were made apparent in his address, but actions speak louder than words.

“I hope that his energy comes all the way down to the local community,” the district manager said. “We’re all for economic growth and a strong tax base and strong schools.”

Northeast Queens native Susan Shoshana has been an active and vocal opponent of increased noise pollution coming out of Queens’ two major airports and took to Twitter to applaud Cuomo’s intentions of addressing the issue.

“My [favorite] part was when the governor demoted the Port Authority on airport construction projects,” she said via Twitter.

By Phil Corso

About 30 people gathered in Charles Park Sunday to reflect on Sandy – and to say goodbye to one of life’s hardest years. Robert Stridiron/The Forum Newsgroup

Oct. 27, 2013 was the perfect example of what is not a hurricane. Instead of wind-whipped clouds scuttling across the bay, the bright blue skies were broken only by birdsong. Instead of ominous warnings from public officials, the only official intonations that could be heard Charles Park in Howard Beach were the calls of baseball referees overseeing the Sunday morning games. The only thing threatening the crisp fall day was cliché; the biggest complaint was the chill in the air as about 30 neighbors in Howard Beach gathered in solidarity to reflect on Superstorm Sandy, which hit the area one year ago.

Julie Fazio, the owner of Howard Beach’s Fazio Dance Center, had seen that other beachfront communities along the eastern seaboard were gathering to hold hands and face the sea that had not managed to wash them away and wanted to organize a similar event in Howard Beach.

It was Fazio said said, meant “to have our moment of being grateful.”

The intention of the ceremony in Howard Beach was well placed. The storm flooded the main thoroughfare, Cross Bay Boulevard, gutting many of the area businesses and the houses by the bay. Everyone knew someone whose home had flooded, everyone had helped haul out ruined belongings and sodden insulation and everyone had helped put back up sheetrock and signs. Lessons were learned about flood zones and the Federal Emergency Management Agency and bureaucratic red tape.

“It’s been such a hard year, but you saw the best of people. The community came together,” Fazio summarized.

“I had a neighbor that I never talked to before, I don’t know why, but she made soup for everyone [after the storm], and went door to door. Now we have backyard parties,” said a woman attending the event added, declining to give her name.

A little after 11 a.m., the crowd made its way to the flagpole at the park, overlooking the bay that had wreaked such havoc on their lives. At the request of Fazio, everyone gathered in a circle and held hands for 10 seconds of silence, raising their arms in unison. It was as much a moment of defiance as remembrance.

By Kate Bubacz 

Close to a couple hundred people attended the vigil at St. Helen’s. Anna Gustafson/The Forum Newsgroup

Standing shoulder to shoulder, cupping candle flames flickering in one of the colder nights this year, a couple hundred residents began to sing, their voices traveling through the space that, exactly one year ago, was filled with the water and wind that, in a few devastating hours, changed so many lives.

“Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come,” they sang, some wiping away tears as others hugged one another at the interfaith candlelit vigil commemorating the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy at St. Helen’s Tuesday night. “‘Tis grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”

While residents said the last year has been one of the most painful periods of their lives, they stressed it was also a time that proved how strong and resilient the community is.

As their voices trailed off and “Amazing Grace” came to an end, mothers hugged daughters, friends clasped hands, elderly spouses found chairs for one another. It was a moment emblematic of an evening of reflecting on a year like no other – of remembering the pain, of the night everything changed, of losing homes and heat and electricity and so much that could never be captured in a sentence alone. And it was a moment of strength – of recognizing that you are still here, surrounded by those you love in a place that has been, and always will be, that four letter word that means so much: Home.

“Grace allowed us to go beyond ourselves,” Rev. Anthony Rucando, of Our Lady of Grace Church, said at the vigil that drew a couple hundred people and religious leaders of all walks of life. “It allowed us to be a witness to others’ needs.”

It was that message that was repeated time and again during Tuesday’s program – one that emphasized that residents who lost nearly everything so often asked not what they could do for themselves, but how they could help their neighbors.

“That night, the most beautiful thing to see was how we all came together,” said Rockwood Park Jewish Center Cantor Shuey Samuels. “…No water can separate us, no natural disaster can break our spirit.”

For those who spoke – and attended – the importance of faith was brought up time and again, with residents stressing how crucial faith has always been in their lives – and what an important role it continued to play as they dealt with sorting through shells of houses, battling insurance companies, and fighting the federal government for funds that should have come their way.

“God used the storm as a great test of your faith and mine,” said Howard Beach Assembly of God Pastor Stephen Roser. “Faith that is tested is a stronger faith.”

Donna Crockett, a Howard Beach resident who was instrumental in putting together the relief center that operated out of St. Helen’s Father Dooley Hall immediately after Sandy, spoke of a community that immediately rallied following the storm. It was inspiring, she said, to see how people jumped to help without being asked. Ragtime, for example, supplied meals for those seeking food and shelter at Dooley Hall, and Lindenwood’s Tuscany Deli and Gino’s Pizzeria in Howard Beach too consistently helped out in the aftermath of the storm.

Residents who attended the candlelit vigil said they wanted to mark the one-year anniversary with Sandy with the people who had helped them the most during, and after, the storm: Their neighbors.

“In the midst of this destruction, we found signs of hope,” Crockett said.

“Walking the road with you in the days of Sandy have provided countless grace-filled moments,” she continued.

Assistant Pastor Yvonne Rankine, of the World Harvest Deliverance Center in Far Rockaway, gave an impassioned speech at the vigil that too stressed how, in our darkest days, it is the love we show for one another that breaks down the bad – that breaks down the cold and the fear and the anger.

“We have seen our vulnerability, and we have seen our strength we didn’t know we have,” she said.

In the end, after the battles with insurance companies and the government reside, after the houses start to go back up, after the water marks are gone – it is community that remains, those at the vigil said. And, residents said, those seen in the grocery store, on the street, in cars – those are the people who, after life seemed to go dark in an instant, will continue to be there should a neighbor need them.

“I remember the fellowship hall at St. Helen’s and how chaotic it was,” said Joseph McKellar, executive director at Faith in New York. “I remember your pastor, Msgr. [Alfred] LoPinto on the phone with FEMA demanding that the people of Howard Beach get help.

“As a city, we’ve been told we need to become more resilient to future storms…but resiliency is about more than storm walls and sea barriers,” he continued. “Resiliency is about people; it’s about community.”

By Anna Gustafson 

After Sandy destroyed Fazio Dance Center, owner Juliana Fazio did everything she could to reopen it – which she managed to do just a month after the storm. Kate Bubacz/The Forum Newsgroup

“Like a phantom, it just came in, wild, and left,” Juliana Fazio says of the water that re-arranged Fazio Dance Center during Superstorm Sandy. She, like so many others in the area, had been caught off guard by the amount of water that surged up from the bay and crossed Cross Bay Boulevard during the storm that devastated much of South Queens. The windows to Fazio Dance Center had blown out from the force of the water; the front desk was gone; the mirrors had to be taken out. The floorboards were a jumbled mess of pieces among the slick of mud covering the ground.

No preparations had been made for the small studio.

“No one said to do anything as far as being prepared for a catastrophe in Howard Beach,” Fazio says.

Fazio grew up in Howard Beach, and her mother still lives in the area. It was in her childhood home that she spent the storm, thinking that it would be at most a three-day stay. That plan was shattered when the damage assessment was done the next morning.

“I went from plan A to plan B to plan C,” she says.

Not only was the studio wiped out, Fazio’s home on Long Island had also been hit by the powerful storm. Undeterred, Fazio set about rebuilding her life from the floor up.

She re-opened the studio a month after the storm with only a dance floor and music so that the children who had been displaced by Sandy could have some sense of routine restored to their lives.

Not only that, she challenged her instructors to start teaching their young pupils the standard two dances that they typically performed in June, despite missing a month of rehearsal.

It was a tall order, requiring costumes to be fit and fliers to be ordered while working on the slow process of rebuilding. Nonetheless, on the first weekend in June the girls took to the stage in Broad Channel, itself a community that was rebuilding, to perform “Dancing Through the Year”.

“Honestly, it was one of our best shows,” Fazio says proudly.

“I was not going to let Sandy wipe out 43 years of dedication,” she says of the dance center that was first opened by her mother in 1970. Even now, some things are not where they used to be. The office still needs to be re-done, and the electronics damaged by the salt water have not been fully replaced. When asked if things are back to normal, Fazio points to a clothesline hanging on her office wall, ready to dry out any photographs or papers that might get wet.

In a moment of reflection, she notes that one of the positive things of the storm was that it gave a reason to improve.

“Like it or not, it’s going to be new,” she says. “Everything is new.”

Even now, if another storm came across the bay and flooded the new floors, it wouldn’t be a question of rebuilding – the roots to the area are too deep.

“I would never leave this neighborhood,” Fazio says, shaking her head to emphasize the point.

“All the local businesses, we worked so hard to keep the businesses going.  The people that support the businesses, they were under duress too. Everyone understands. It humbled us.”

By Kate Bubacz 

About 100 people gathered for a candlelit vigil at the West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department Monday night. Kate Bubacz/The Forum Newsgroup

“I want to thank everyone in uniform that helped us,” state Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) says to a crowd of about 100 people gathered in the parking lot of the West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department. To commemorate the first anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, and to thank everyone who was involved with the recovery, Addabbo and the Hamilton Beach Civic Association held a candlelit interfaith vigil Monday night.

“Ordinary people on the 28^th were extraordinary on the 29^th,” the senator continued, in reference to how quickly events on Oct. 29, 2012 changed the town. The statement especially resonated for the volunteer firefighters.

 “If we weren’t here, two people wouldn’t be,” Jonah Cohen, the chief of the volunteer firefighters, says when asked about his departments role in the storm. With a crew of 11 firefighters who were on duty during Sandy itself, they responded to over 20 calls. The final call of the night was the rescue of two women and two dogs from a one-story house that had four feet of water in it. At that point, there was little high ground left in the area, so the women were brought to the firehouse for the night.

WHBVFD Chief Jonah Cohen recalled the devastation of Sandy and discussed the crucial role his volunteers played in keeping residents safe during, and after, the storm.

The firehouse itself was not spared the wrath of Sandy however. On Oct. 29, 2012, one ambulance and two fire trucks were ruined from the salt water, leaving the chief with only one spare ambulance that was working.

“Even if we had moved the vehicles, there’s no guarantee they would have survived,” Cohen says. “No one knew where the water was going to go.”

Roger Gendron, of the Hamilton Beach Civic Association, recounts the morning after the storm, receiving a call from Addabbo, who asked what was needed for his town.

“I responded with a rambling list,” Gendron says. “And Joe said, ‘One step at a time.’”

Step by step, the neighborhood was put back together. Fire equipment was sent from Mississippi, Georgia and Pennsylvania. The firehouse was set up as a central supply center for the neighborhood, distributing food and cleaning supplies to anyone who needed it for the next three months.

“It was great to see neighbor helping neighbor,” Gendron says.

During the storm, the firehouse was set up as a central supply center for the neighborhood.

Still, Addabbo acknowledges the fear and anger that still exist in the community, the frustration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and insurance, and the constant recovery – the toll that one year of stress has taken. He thanks the other local politicians, including Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park), who sent a representative.

Gina Stetz, an area resident, is asked to speak about her experience in the storm.

“I stayed with my father and mother, who refused to leave. The water came up, and I lay on the couch and said, ‘God, I’m ready’. I was peaceful as can be. Then my husband said ‘the water’s going down!’ and I said ‘Thank God, You didn’t want me yet.’”

Everyone laughs in appreciation, in relief that the damage was not worse.

In the candlelight, Addabbo asks everyone to take a moment of silence for Rose Faggiano, the only known death in Howard Beach from Hurricane Sandy. She was discovered in her home, where she apparently drowned during the storm.

The moment is concluded with a prayer and “God Bless America”. The spell of the vigil breaks as candles are collected and exchanged for cookies and coffee. Kids begin running around the parking lot and adults catch up with neighbors in the well-lit but empty fire hall.

When asked about any closing remarks about the storm, Cohen is succinct in his message: “Let us not go through that again.”

By Kate Bubacz 

Mike Siderakis loves the time he spends chatting with customers–it’s all a part of what he says makes him happy to go to work every day. “I fit here, and I love that.” Patricia Adams/The Forum Newsgrouo

 So what’s a neighborhood without a diner? Hungry— well that’s the obvious, but for Howard Beachers the loss of the Cross ay Diner was just another adjustment to what used to be everyday life.

Not only the quintessential place to grab a burger or two eggs over easy, but a social “hub”, an exchange of neighborhood news.

Now, 11 months after the storm, the view from inside the neighborhood eatery-icon is totally different. But it is more than the stylish new design and the imported floor tiles. It’s more than the new layout, the improved menu and the bolstered up service. It’s just “very different,” according to Mike Siderakis, now the sole proprietor of the establishment.

You’ve called ahead and told him you’d like to talk about his businesses “trip back” for the papers tribute issue on Hurricane Sandy. He agrees and sets up the appointment. Still smiling and preoccupied by the conversation he had with two regulars across the floor while walking over to do the interview, he begins the conversation before he even sits down to join you at the table. “I love to get up and come to work in the morning,” he says and in less than 30 seconds into the conversation you believe it.

The husband and father of three has been in the business since 1982 when he started working in his father’s place, Tastee Donuts on 23rd Street between Lexington and Park Avenue in the city. In 2001, Siderakis bought his first diner, the Cross Bay, and then another in 2004 in Nassau County which he sold in 2006. In 2010 he purchased the Park View in Brooklyn, which he still owns and operates.

But the return trip to a newly renovated Cross Bay for Siderakis has not been like any of his other experiences. He stares out across the floor when you ask him what it was like a year ago. He remembers when the water came, it took everything. The power surge began in the basement and spread upstairs shorting out registers, computers, cameras, refrigeration and alarms. “Like everyone else, our losses were devastating.”

His thoughts never included not fixing up. “I never said if we go back. I just thought of how we were going to do it.” By all accounts, it took just under a month to get the debris removed and carted away. Then another three weeks for demolition. After that there were permit filings and finally the beginning of interior work in February. “It took about four months, once everything started.” The grand re-opening saw a capacity crowd welcomes back the neighborhood institution when it reopened on May 22nd.

“I believe that out of bad things come good messages,” Siderakis says.”People have to believe that when they work and work together that we are all better for it.”

Although the memory is not pleasant, it is something he believes everyone should remember and face.

“Sometimes, it’s like it never happened. Like a bad dream. But we know it did happen and that we made it through a disaster. Together.”

To Siderakis, there clearly doesn’t seem to be anything more important than that. And to his customers, well let’s just say they’re very happy they never have to find out what life is like without a diner. The man who owns it says he loves it here and he’s not going anyplace.

By Patricia Adams 

Local first responders from West Hamilton Beach and Broad Channel Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Corps were recognized for their life saving efforts during and in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Robert Stridiron/The Forum Newsgroup

Among many ceremonies and dedications throughout the city in remembrance of the one year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, was a special morning event at Howard Beach’s Vetro Restaurant.  General manager and sommelier P.J. Connelly, and owner Frank Russo Jr., invited First Responders to come down to the restaurant, beginning at 5:30 a.m., for a gourmet breakfast buffet to honor their lifesaving efforts and bravery during and in the aftermath of the storm.

In addition to the breakfast, WPIX News 11 held their live show broadcast from the restaurant, interviewing many of the men and women from First Responder units especially those from the areas volunteer Fire and Ambulance Corps.

“It’s a little easier to think about what happened that day while you’re eating Eggs Benedict,” said Chief of the West Hamilton Corps, Jonah Cohen. But the eggs did not negate memories for Cohen and the others about the fire trucks, ambulances and equipment that was ruined in the storm. Before 10 p.m. on the night of the storm, the West Hamilton Fire Department had already taken on at least 8 feet of water and nearby at the Broad Channel Fire Department, things were no different—the house was under water, the equipment was lost.

But with no rigs and the rage of the storm still in full swing, the local heroes went to work. Crews manned boats down flooded streets, pulling people from their homes. They rigged makeshift pulleys to get down streets to make rescues. They walked through water with downed power lines sizzling and sparking around them.

One of the things that really added an extraordinary dimension to the rescues according to Chief Cohen is that most of the members of the departments were not just First Responders; they too were victims of the storm. “But at the end of the day,” the Chief said, “we’re here having breakfast and we’re safe.”

As the breakfast and broadcast came to an end, P.J. Connolly spoke to The Forum. “What a difference a year makes.” In reflecting on the day, he remembered the continuous flow of trucks unloading sand bags at Vetro, to try and protect the property—now instead, the parking lot was filled with news trucks set up for broadcast and ambulances that carried crews for breakfast, not an emergency. “We are so thankful for everything that these men and women did for us and for the community and so proud to recognize their bravery and heroism.”

A year later, after completion of Vetro’s extensive renovations –$3.2 million dollars worth—the exclusive 5-star restaurant had its grand re-opening a little over a month ago and is back bigger and better than ever.

At Vetro there remains no trace of an unwelcomed dinner guest named Sandy who stopped by with no reservations and left an astronomical tab behind.

By Patricia Adams 

A Letter From The Publisher

My Dear Neighbors,

I’ve known for almost a year that I was going to write this to all of you and still as I sit down, I have no idea of either what I should say or how I should say it. I’d like to begin by sharing with you some words that were published in the issues immediately following the storm. 

November 1, 2013
4 days in— Post Sandy Issue 1 

“…Initially I wondered how I could go on and continue with the newspaper in the face of everything…but as I made my way through Howard Beach, Hamilton Beach and Broad Channel …I was overwhelmed by people’s reaction to the thought that The Forum could be lost for good. Because of their words, I quickly realized that giving up was not an option. 

“I know that moving forward will be one of the most difficult things we will ever face but we have to do it no matter what it takes. And as we have shown over and over in the past, we can do it.” 

“The Forum is starting over with all of you and although it will likely be the hardest thing we have ever had to face, we will get through it.”

“May God continue to bless all of us, and may each of you and all of your families remain safe in the days ahead.” 

November 15, 2013
18 days in—Post Sandy Issue 3 

“It is especially ironic for me that I have spent so much of my life writing about the news and now I am living it.” 

“…Thank you to all of you who have been calling, writing, texting and emailing to encourage us to keep printing… Your expressions mean the world to us and have really acted as a stimulus to keep going through such difficult times.” 

“Everywhere we turn there seems to be a helping hand extended in our direction. Words can never express the gratitude we feel as the recipients of such kindness and generosity.” 

November 22, 2013
25 days in –Post Sandy Issue 4 

“…Despite these trying circumstances, there is one thing that has weathered this storm and emerged as a force more powerful than the wind and water that left so many in dire straights––the dictionary defines it as a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another that is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate that suffering––we know it as one word, compassion.” 

November 29, 2013
32 days in–Post Sandy Issue 4 

“It’s hard to believe it’s nearly a month since I watched a wave roll down my block…since I felt for the first time in my life, sheer panic…” 

“…Although we have a long way to go, we have proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that we are ready, willing and able; not only to help ourselves, but to help each other.” 

Those are some of the words that I wrote to you back then, but now I would like to share with you some words that were written to me the week after the storm hit. 

Dear Pat Adams, 

Upon returning to my home on 96th st. in Howard Beach this morning, I was filled with emotion to find The Forum lying on what’s left of my front lawn, folded in its clear plastic bag, as usual. 

When I picked it up, my eyes became watery and my breathing became heavy as I held back he tears.

Seeing that newspaper on my lawn gives me the hope that things are and will return to normal soon. I have lived here for 38 of my 40 years and now raise my boys in the house in which I grew up. 

It means everything to me to be able to do that and I will continue to do that with support from everyone like my family and great neighbors, and people like you of course. 

Thank you for giving me the littlest thing, that subtle reminder that life goes on and that so must all of us… 

Sincerely,

Robert Marino Jr. 

Over the course of the last year, I have read those words many times. And I realize that no words in my life have ever affected me more. 

And so I dedicate this issue of The Forum, the largest ever printed in our history, to Robert Marino Jr., a man whom I have never met and yet who shaped my life and the future of The Forum. 

His words and sentiment were the motivation to go on when it seemed impossible. This letter was a beacon of light and inspiration to go on. And to him I will be eternally grateful. 

Now I invite you all to take a journey with me, through the pages that follow. 

Beginning with your personal stories and photos, we have tried to capture the sprit, dedication, perseverance and courage that have miraculously transported us to where we stand today. 

Whether it is in Rockaway, Broad Channel or Howard Beach, as individuals and as a community, we have triumphed and have emerged from our darkest hours stronger and better. 

To be continued…

 …a continuation 

As this issue comes to an end, I would just like to say what a privilege it has been for us to put it together for you. 

It was our intention to publish something you could refer back to as a reminder not of tragedy but of triumph. 

Of determination. Of fortitude. 

Of kindness. Of generosity. 

Of heroism. Of gratitude. 

Of so much more. 

These words I write to you come from a perspective never before experienced or imagined—it is too ridiculous of a tale to be fact and too unimaginable to be fiction. I guess what I mean is, I still sometimes can’t believe it happened. 

The picture at the top of this page was taken outside the offices of The Forum just after completing the cleanout after the storm. 

One year ago, having just entered its the 40th year of publishing, we were unable to salvage so much as a pencil from that office. 

Now, only one year later, almost to the day, we sent to press this newspapers largest issue ever published. 

Without our readers and our clients who continue to support us with their loyalty, it would have been an impossible feat. 

We could not be prouder of the place we hold in the community. 

I could never thank individually all of you who were instrumental to our getting here 

and being given the opportunity to serve this community as a trusted and valued partner. 

In concluding this issue I would like to share with you what I have taken away from the last year. 

I believe that the storm acted as a reminder that a reality check was in order because 

perhaps we had become to taken with taking advantage and taking for granted things that we should not. 

We all have a take home message from this storm. Mine is simple. 

I was raised in faith and taught by my parents to believe in God. 

After this storm my beliefs are no longer due to influence. 

I believe in God because I saw Him over and over. In my friends and in my foes. In firemen, in strangers. 

In the miracles that happened every day around us. 

And now still as we continue to move forward together. 

May God Continue To Bless Us And Keep Us Safe 

A sign of the times—heavy winds tore down signage throughout the path of the storm. Photo Courtesy Jose Silva

Many residents of the Rockaways were the victims of looters after evacuating their homes due to Hurricane Sandy. Photo Courtesy Caroline Roswell

Rockaway Beach looking west from B102 Street, Weds, Oct. 31, 2012 with No Hope handball court and residents of Rockaways. Photo Courtesy Caroline Roswell

Block after block of business along commercial/residential strips through the center of Rockaway lost entire inventories and operating equipment when water filled the establishments. Photos Courtesy Victoria Holt/VRPhotography

Metal gates crumbled like tissue paper all along the boardwalk as wind and water whipped across the beach font in violent waves.

Residents sit and marvel at the destruction along the shoreline that claimed sections of the boardwalk for dozens of blocks tossing them as though they were toothpicks.

More resembling a section of boardwalk one might find in the funhouse of Playland in days gone by, one solitary bench on a buckled section of boardwalk reminds passersby of the destruction that rendered the beach walkway.

Blankets and sheets were spread on lawns. Photos placed on top of them to dry in the sun. What if the wind comes back? Plates, dishes, pots and pans have been placed on the memories to keep them from blowing away.

A grandmother’s bedroom set, soon to be passed down, now warped from soaking under sea water and possibly sewage, takes its place in line for the inevitable toss into the dumpster.  What to throw away. What to save. People pull up, they are in vans. They want to know if we are throwing any of this away. We scream back, “This is not garbage—this is our life on our lawn. Get off my property.”

Furniture, luggage, garbage–lifetimes of possessions–stood before home after home, a grim reminder, blocks long, of everything lost. Photo Couresy Donna Faiella

A single red pew is surrounded by the splintered remains of the Howard Beach Assembly of God Church. Photo Courtesy Donna Faiella

Marguerite Carillo is a Howard Beach resident who shared with us her personal thoughts. Her letter contains some very wise words we think everyone will be better for. Another “good thing” to have come from all this mess.
“Like everyone else here, we had 4 feet of water surrounding the house and 8 feet of water inside the basement. I never felt so helpless and frightened. My 90-years-young Mom put on a brave face but I knew that she was very scared.
What I will take away from all of this is how the people from Howard Beach came together as a community. I had neighbors coming over to see if they could help. Sanitation workers checking in on us to see if there was something they could do for us.
Whatever I had I tried to share with others and they did the same with us. We had no one but each other… Our neighborhood stood tall and this is what I want to remember on 10/29/13. I want to think about the good.”
Photo Courtesy Marguerite Carillo

Virtually no clues remain that this is the boat yard of longtime Howard Beach resident John Fazio. Other residents along the water’s edge lost their boats, as well as the docks they were tied to. Photo Courtesy Susan Lombardo

Rows of collapsed and crumbled bungalow type homes were rendered beyond repair and marked with red stickers as condemned properties Photo Courtesy Victoria Holt/VRPhotography

An American flag was placed outside this house, along with so many others, as a symbol of pride and inspiration and as a reminder that strength and courage is what built the greatest country on earth. Photo Courtesy Victoria Holt/VRPhotography