Office of the County Executive: Suffolk County Update; 3:45 p.m.
NEWEST INFORMATION:
- American Red Cross Shelters Transitioning to Temporary Housing on Sunday
- Suffolk County Commissioner of Health Services Announces Vaccine Program
- Disaster Recovery Centers /New Mobile Unit Schedule for Huntington & Patchogue
- Temporary Fuel Policy Making a Difference on the Ground
- Suffolk Health Department Advisories on CO, Fire Prevention & Mold
American Red Cross Shelter Closing Sunday
The ARC Shelter located at St. Joseph College will be closing as of Sunday morning November 11th at 9 am. Those needing emergency housing can seek assistance and placement through SCDSS representative at any of the Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) (see list below), or by calling 1 (877) 733 – 2767.
For Huntington residents ONLY, Huntington Town operates a shelter at Village Green Center, Park Avenue, Huntington.
Suffolk County Commissioner of Health Services Announces Vaccine Program
Commissioner of Health Services James L. Tomarken, MD, MPH, MBA, MSW, has made available free of charge ADULT influenza and tetanus vaccine at each of the five Disaster Recovery Centers located in Suffolk County (see below) on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Tetanus vaccination is recommended for those residents who have been exposed to flood waters and debris and who have not received a tetanus vaccine in the last 10 years. Dr. Tomarken also recommends that those residents who have been displaced and are living in close proximity in shelters, and who may not be able to receive immunizations from their normal providers, protect themselves from influenza by receiving the flu immunization.
American Red Cross Food Distribution Centers
Open Saturday, 11/10 & Sunday, 11/11 from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
- Babylon Town Hall, 200 East Sunrise Hwy., Lindenhurst, NY 11757
- Mastic Beach Nutrition Center, 369 Neighborhood Rd., Mastic Beach, NY 11951
- H. Lee Dennison Building, 100 Veterans Memorial Hwy. Hauppauge NY, 11788
- Suffolk County Center, 300 Center Drive, Riverhead, NY 11901
FEMA
In an effort to provide easy access to a variety of local and federal benefits and services, County Executive Bellone has established five fixed based emergency Disaster Recovery Centers and a mobile unit in collaboration with FEMA where residents can go for information about FEMA and other disaster assistance programs. Centers are located in Babylon, Brookhaven, Islip, Smithtown and Riverhead Towns, as well as a mobile unit deployed at various locations – see current schedule below.
Hours of all fixed based DRCs are 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. & run seven days a week.
FEMA representatives are on hand to assist residents in filling out FEMA applications, answer any questions and provide lists of resources. Additionally, there are also Small Business representatives, as well as County representatives from the offices of the Department of Health, Economic Development, Labor, Social Services, and Transitional Housing.
- H. Lee Dennison – 100 Vet’s Highway, Hauppauge
- Islip Town Annex – 400 Main Street, Islip
- Lindenhurst Public Library – 1 Lee Street, Lindenhurst
- Mastic Rec Center – 15 Herkimer St, Mastic
- Suffolk County Center – 300 Center Drive, Riverhead
Mobile Disaster Recovery Unit Upcoming Schedule
Sunday, November 11 & Monday, November 12
Huntington Town Hall
100 Main Street, Huntington, NY
Tuesday, November 13 and Wednesday, November 14
Patchogue Recreation Center
380 Bay Avenue, Patchogue, NY
Countywide Housing Taskforce Established
In collaboration with FEMA, County Executive Bellone has established a Countywide Housing Taskforce that will identify local housing needs for individuals and families impacted by the disaster and coordinate with available housing resources.
FEMA Increases Rental Assistance Subsidy
As part of the effort to ensure that families and individuals get the support they need, FEMA has increased the amount of rental assistance that it may provide to eligible disaster survivors in New York and New Jersey, including Suffolk County. Rental support, previously based on existing HUD Fair Market Rates (FMR) for fiscal year 2013 has been increased 25 percent. This increased rental subsidy is expected to make additional rental resources in affected areas available for temporary housing for disaster effected families.
Here are the FMR for fiscal year 2013, which are based on family size, along with the increases as per 25% increase announced by FEMA.
- 1 bedroom: $1,285 increased to $1,606
- 2 bedroom: $1,583 increased to $1,978
- 3 bedroom: $2,058 increased to $2,572
- 4 bedroom: $2,370 increased to $2,962
Important FEMA Information
1-800-621-FEMA (3362)
What Information Do I Need to Apply?
Whether applying online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov from your computer or smartphone, or over the phone through a FEMA call center, you should have a pen and paper and the following information ready:
- Your Social Security number
- Current and pre-disaster address
- A telephone number where you can be contacted
- Insurance information
- Total household annual income
- A routing and account number from your bank (only necessary if you want to have disaster assistance funds transferred directly into your bank account) your bank routing number is located on the lower left side of your bank checks immediately before your account number.
- A description of your losses that were caused by the disaster
After you’ve completed your application for assistance, you will be given a FEMA application number. Write down this number and keep it for future reference.
PLEASE SHARE THIS IMPORTANT MESSAGE: In order to be eligible for FEMA Rental Assistance you must answer “yes” to when asked if you want to relocate. Note, relocation can be many things, including placing a trailer on your own property for temporary housing.
Temporary Fuel Policy
“The new temporary Suffolk County fuel policy that went into effect at 5 a.m. Friday morning is resulting in noticeably shorter lines at the pump and is easing inconvenience and anxiety among residents of Suffolk,” said County Executive Bellone.
The temporary policy requires gas stations to sell fuel only to drivers with vehicles bearing license plates that correlate in odd/even terms with the day of the month in accordance with the following requirements:
- Drivers with license plates ending in an even number will be able to purchase fuel only on even-numbered days and drivers with license plate numbers that end in an odd number will be able to purchase fuel only on odd-numbered days.
- License plates such as vanity plates that do not display numbers will be considered odd-numbered plates.
- Out-of-state vehicles will be subject to the same requirements when purchasing fuel in Suffolk County.
- This policy does not apply to commercial vehicles, taxi or limousine fleets or emergency fleets, nor does it apply to hand held gas canisters.
Health Advisory Update from Suffolk Department of Health Services: Rid Home of Mold; Prevent Fire
Rid Home of Mold
Residents who have moved back into homes that have been flooded will need to rid their homes of mold, which can make them sick. Things that stayed wet for two days will have mold growing on them, even if you can’t see it.
Health officials advise that you throw out items made of cloth, unless you can wash them in hot water. Also remove items that can’t be cleaned easily (leather, paper, wood and carpet).
Use bleach to clean mold off hard surfaces and objects such as floors, stoves, sinks, toys, counter tops, plates & tools.
Follow these steps:
- Never mix bleach with ammonia or other cleaners.
- Wear rubber boots, rubber gloves, goggles, and N-95 mask.
- Open windows and doors to get fresh air when or use bleach.
- Mix no more than one cup of bleach in one gallon of water
- Wash the item with the bleach and water mixture.
- If the surface of the item is rough, scrub the surface with a stiff brush.
- Rinse the item with clean water.
- Dry the item or leave it out to dry.
Fire Prevention
Home heating stoves and heaters cause more than 20,000 fires a year. Take caution when using electric space heaters, kerosene heaters, wood stoves and fireplaces and be sure your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors work.
Carbon Monoxide Warning
Power outages have prompted people to use devices that produce carbon monoxide (CO), an invisible, odorless, tasteless gas that is highly poisonous. If not handled correctly, devices of this kind can lead to (CO) exposure and serious illness and even death.
Be cautious when using generators or indoor heating devices. ALWAYS locate the unit outdoors on a dry surface, away from doors, windows, vents and air conditioning equipment that could allow CO to come indoors.
NEVER use a generator indoors, including in homes, garages, basements, crawl spaces, or other enclosed or partially enclosed areas, even with ventilation.
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Press Release
COUNTY OF SUFFOLK
OFFICE OF THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE
H. Lee Dennison Building
100 Veterans Memorial Highway
P.O. Box 6100
Hauppauge, New York 11788-0099
(631) 853-4000
Steven Bellone
SUFFOLK COUNTY EXECUTIVE
