New information includes nine additional warming centers; and info on Touro Law Pro Bono Storm Help Center. Below is list of warming centers; NEW info highlighted in blue. FEMA application also attached, along with important fire prevention brochure.
WARMING CENTERS (List Updated as of 4:00 p.m. Today)
The following warming stations are provided by local towns, houses of worship, fire departments, and other facilities. Each station provides a different combination of services. Please make note of hours and services.
Town of Babylon
NEW: Farmingdale Knights of Columbus, 1 Morton Street, Farmingdale
Hours: Seven days, 24 hours a day. Warming station and shelter.
For more information, call: (516) 523 – 7130
NEW: Babylon Town Hall, 200 East Sunrise Hwy., Lindenhurst
Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 9 p.m. until further notice.
NEW: Babylon Town Annex, 281 Phelps Lane, North Babylon
Hours: 24-hours until further notice.
NEW: Lindenhurst Public Library, 1 Lee Avenue, Lindenhurst
Hours: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m., Monday – Thursday.
NEW: Copiague Library, 15 Deauville Blvd. Copiague
Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday – Friday.
NEW: St. Joseph’s Parish, 39 North Carll Avenue, Babylon
Hours: 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Monday – Friday
NEW: West Babylon Public Library, 211 Route 109, West Babylon
Hours: Monday – Thursday, 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. /F – Sat: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
And Sunday, 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Town of Brookhaven
The Town of Brookhaven has extended the hours of operation of seven warming centers located throughout the community. Residents who have no heat can visit 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. These extended hours will be in effect until further notice. For residents without access to transportation, call (516) 807 – 7203.
Rose Caracapa Senior Citizen Cultural & Wellness Center
739 Route 25A, Mount Sinai / (631) 476 – 6449
Bay Area Nutrition Center
369 Neighborhood Road, Mastic / (631) 281 – 7679
New Village Recreation Center
20 Wireless Road, Centereach / (631) 744 – 2601.
Robert E. Reid Senior Recreation Center
Defense Hill & 25A, Shoreham / (631) 744 – 2601
Saint Michaels Recreation Center
Wilson Avenue, Gordon Heights / (631) 698 – 3254
Mastic Recreation Center
15 Herkimer Street, Mastic / (631) 281 – 7655
Henrietta Acampora Recreation Center (Bluepoint Cottage)
39 Montauk Highway, Bluepoint / (631) 363 – 5193
Town of Huntington
NEW: Suffolk Y Jewish Community Center, 74 Hauppauge Rd., Commack
Hours: 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. Mon – Wed; until 10 p.m. TH; 6:30 – 5 p.m. Friday.
For more information call: (631) 462 - 9800
Dix Hills Ice Rink, 575 Vanderbilt, Dix Hills
Hours: 6 a.m. – 10 p.m. Monday – Friday / (631) 462 – 5883
Central Presbyterian Church, 240 Main Street, Huntington
Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Use rear entrance. / (631) 421 – 3663
Temple Beth El, 660 Park Avenue, Huntington,
Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday – Thursday / (631) 421 – 5835
Huntington YMCA, 60 Main Street, Huntington
Hours: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. / (631) 421 – 4242
Lights of Salvation Church, 1599 New York Avenue, Huntington Station
Hours: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday – Saturday / (631) 421 – 4375
St. Hugh of Lincoln RC Church, New York Avenue & E. 9th Street, Huntington
Hours: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Saturday & Sunday 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Salvation Army East Northport Service Center, 319 Clay Pitts Road, East Northport
Hours: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Seven Days a Week
Town of Islip
NEW: Sayville Public Library, 88 Greene Avenue, Sayville.
Hours: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday – Friday. Saturday 9:30 – 5 p.m.,
And Sunday 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Town Southampton /Shelters & Warming Centers
David W. Cohan Community Center, 655 Flanders Road, Riverside
Open at 5 PM November 5, providing overnight shelter and meals for 36 occupants. Rest rooms, no showers.
United Methodist Church, 160 Main Street, Southampton Village
Provides overnight lodging, rest rooms (no showers), light snacks and charging station for electronic devices.
Open this evening starting at 7 PM. No animals permitted. Contact: Reverend Leslie Duroseau (516-457-8577)
St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 165 Ponquogue Ave., Hampton Bays
Open from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 PM beginning tomorrow Nov. 6. No overnight lodging. Contact: Jennifer (631.728.0776)
RED CROSS MEAL DISTRIBUTION CENTERS
Meals are being served at Serve Lunch from 11:00 a.m. and Dinner from 4:00 p.m.
Dennison building in Hauppauge, 100 Vet’s Highway, Hauppauge
Riverhead County Center 210 Center Drive, Riverhead
Mastic Fire House, 1088 Mastic Road, Mastic
FEMA UPDATE on DISASTER ASSISTANCE PROCESS
Residents who have suffered a loss due to Tropical Storm Sandy should register with FEMA as soon as possible. Before applying to FEMA, residents should contact their homeowners’ insurance, and then register with FEMA through their Website atwww.disasterassistance.gov or call FEMA direct at 1 (800) 621 – 3362. Once an application has been completed, FEMA is contacting applicants within 48 hours. A FEMA agent will come to your home to assess the damage. FEMA is making decisions regarding grant awards within days. SEE ATTACHED FEMA APPLICATION.
Residents should NOT wait for insurance agents or FEMA to arrive before cleaning up areas that may be hazardous. Document the damage for insurance purposes with photographs of effected areas. Also keep receipts for services and goods.
Small businesses needing recovery assistance should contact the Suffolk County Department of Labor (SCDOL) at (631) 853 – 6600. Through the SCDOL and Department of Economic Development & Planning, the County is hosting Small Business Assistance Recovery Centers at SCDOL offices in Hauppauge and Riverhead beginning on Wednesday, 11/7. Hours: H. Lee Dennison 9:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. & Riverhead SCDOL 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
WARNING: FEMA interviewers who come to assess damage will NOT ask personal questions, such as social security number or bank account number, or other questions applicants would have already answered when applying for assistance. If anyone asks these kinds of questions, the individual is NOT FEMA. FEMA agents will carry official credentials on badges.
TOURO LAW OPENS PRO BONO STORM HELP CENTER (TLC-HEART)
Hotline/Help Center opened this week providing referrals, assistance and legal advice for residents and small businesses affected by Tropical Storm Sandy. The Help Center will be staffed by volunteer lawyers and law students. Call (631) 761 – 7198 or email:tlcheart@tourolaw.edu. Hotline answered live M – TH, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00p.m and on Friday until 3:00 p.m. Voicemail messages can be left 24/7.
DEPARTMENT of SOCIAL SERVICES
The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) has received a waiver to extend Temporary Assistance and SNAP (Food Stamps) cases that are currently due to expire on 11/30/12. This, mass –reauthorization will be done by OTDA with no Local DSS involvement.
The New York State Department of Health has received a waiver to extend Medicaid cases that are currently due to expire on 11/30/12. Similarly, this mass –reauthorization will be done by DOH with no Local DSS involvement.
Current Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipient households that have lost food purchased with SNAP benefits due the disaster are entitled to a replacement issuance of SNAP benefits provided that:
- The household reports the loss within 10 days of the date of onset of the disaster or misfortune; and
- The household returns a signed and completed form LDSS-2291 “Request for Replacement of Food Purchased with Food Stamp Benefits” within 10 days of the date of the report of loss.
- OTDA has received approval (via a waiver) from the USDA to replace 50% of the October SNAP (Food Stamps) benefit. The benefits will be placed electronically on the clients EBT card via a mass reauthorization by OTDA for all SNAP households receiving benefits during October 2012. This mass ––reauthorization will be done in the next few days by OTDA with no Local DSS involvement.
SUFFOLK COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT UPDATES
SCDHS brochure on “How to Prevent a Fire When Heating Your Home” is attached. This brochure explains how to prevent a fire in your home if you use a fireplace, kerosene heater, electric heater, or wood stove to heat your home.
SCDHS advises residents NOT to include household hazardous waste (pesticides, oil, paint, solvents etc.) with regular trash items. Further instructions regarding proper disposal and collection of household hazardous waste will be forthcoming.
Residents are advised to use protective clothing, including gloves, eye protection and boots when handling household hazardous materials.
WATER QUALITY
Public Health Hotline: (631) 787 – 2200
The Suffolk County Department of Health Services (SCDHS) has received reports of fuel spills and potential sewage releases in areas that continue to be affected by standing floodwater, including Lindenhurst, Mastic and several other low-lying areas of the County that have been flooded by Tropical Storm Sandy. Please ensure the public is advised of the following:
• Residents are advised to avoid contact with residual floodwaters.
• Standing flood water can be a source of diseases such as tetanus. Ensure tetanus immunization is up to date.
• Exposure to fuel can lead to respiratory problems (inhalation) and to skin conditions (direct contact.)
• Reports of fuel discharge, such as visible floating products, sightings of detached tanks, or significant persistent odor, should be provided to NYSDEC at 1(800) 457- 7362. NYSDEC will manage fuel problems through their Spills Program.
• In general, foods that have come into contact with floodwaters are NOT safe to eat, and areas that have been subjected to flooding should be decontaminated prior to reoccupation.
For additional guidance for specific health safety concerns go to Suffolk County Office of Emergency Management Website.
SMALL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE CENTER AVAILABLE at BABYLON TOWN HALL
In addition to Small Business Assistance Recovery Centers in Hauppauge and Riverhead (see 4:15 update), the Small Business Development Center at Farmingdale State College has partnered with the Town of Babylon to provide a Small Business Counselor on-site at Babylon Town Hall to assist small businesses with damage documentation and paperwork preparation. A counselor will be available from 9 am to 4:30 pm, beginning Monday, November 5, in the Town Board Room at 200 E Sunrise Highway, Lindenhurst.
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