Displaced Sandy Victims Say City Housing Is An Unlivable, Rodent-Infested Alternative
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Victims of Superstorm Sandy who are staying in temporary housing aren't expecting room service, but some say that they are living in shocking conditions.
"We're victims of Sandy but we shouldn't have to be punished because of that," a man who identified himself as Monroe, told CBS 2's Steve Langford.
Residents of these temporary lodgings have complained of a lack of heat and problems with infestation.
"The roaches, and a lot of it has to do with, the mice," said one man.
Some Sandy victims have been lucky enough to be put up in hotels like the Holiday Inn and the Double Tree, but more than two dozen former residents of the Rockaways are living in a pair of run down rooming houses in the Longwood section of the Bronx.
Those two buildings have reportedly received dozens of housing code violations and have numerous fire safety problems. When CBS 2 stopped by, a smoke alarm appeared to be running on a low battery; the building's super said that he would replace it.
Rockaways resident Dennis Sims told CBS 2 that Sandy forced him out of his home and into living conditions that he referred to as 'a complete dump.'
"Like dirty, filthy, unstable, unlivable," he said.
Sandy refugees say that they aren't looking for a room at the Ritz, but that they need livable shelter in the aftermath of the storm.
CBS 2 reached out to the Mayor's office, the Buildings Department, and the manager of the two Bronx buildings, those calls have yet to be returned.
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