City Rushes to House Up to 40,000 Displaced by Sandy

In the worst case scenario, as many as 40,000 New Yorkers were left homeless in the wake of Sandy’s destruction, said Department of Housing and Urban Development figures, according to the New York Times.

A more realistic assessment may be 20,000 people, said Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and most of them are residents of public housing.

Bloomberg added that while many residents in the city are concerned about having their power restored, a lack of electricity may be the least of the problems for some public housing residents.

"Even when power can be turned back on, some of these buildings are going to be out of commission for a long time because of damage to boilers and electrical systems," he said at his most recent press conference. "And that’s not just public housing; it’s private apartments and individual houses that have been impacted as well."

The city is currently scrambling to find shelter for those displaced by last week's storm.

Most people could be housed in hotels or apartments, said FEMA director Craig Fugate, but evacuations at public housing complexes were causing confusion.

In Queens, Borough President Helen Marshall released a list of warming centers throughout the county where displaced residents could go.

The list is attached at right in PDF form, and includes two locations in Forest Hills: the Forest Hills Senior Center at 108-25 62nd Dr. and the Young Israel of Forest Hills Senior League at 68-07 Burns St. All locations are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

"If you are elderly, or you have an infant under a year old, or have heart disease or other medical conditions, you really should go to a warm place," Bloomberg said. "If you find yourself shivering uncontrollably, or if you see someone who is disoriented, those are symptoms of hypothermia, and anyone with them needs to get to a warm place, covered with blankets, a hot water bottle – anything you can do to get them warm quickly."

The onset of freezing temperatures did nothing to aid those without a warm place to stay – Sunday evening temperatures fell to the 30s, according to the National Weather Service.

In response, New York City opened heating shelters and on Sunday, officials were passing out blankets to residents without electricity.