Bloomberg Appoints Housing Recovery Director To Help Those Displaced By Sandy
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg has named Brad Gair as the director of housing recovery operations for New York City as thousands of residents continue to struggle after being displaced by superstorm Sandy.
Gair will oversee the city's efforts to house all New Yorkers who were left homeless by the storm.
"In addition to providing short-term shelter, today we are taking action to ensure that we can provide longer-term housing to those who are most in need," Bloomberg said. "Solving the housing problems created by this storm is an enormous challenge, but we know that the resources exist at a variety of federal, state and local agencies. Brad Gair will help us marshal those resources and coordinate efforts so that we can get help to New Yorkers who need it as quickly and efficiently as possible."
The mayor said he is also appointing four community recovery directors to provide New Yorkers in the hardest-hit areas with information about services that are available.
In addition, Bloomberg said the city is working on getting power restored to areas still in the dark, especially to residents of the New York City Housing Authority.
The mayor said 114 public housing buildings, home to 21,000 people, are still without power in New York City and there is still no heat and hot water in 174 public housing buildings that are home to 35,000 people.
"Over the next two of three days, our goal is to restore electricity to nearly all developments where it is feasible and to restore heat and hot water to nearly two-thirds of the developments that are without them."
Gair previously was appointed federal recovery officer for 9/11. From 2006 to 2009, he served as deputy commissioner for the city's Office of Emergency Management.
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