NYC hosts star-studded benefit concert as storm-ravaged states still struggle to recover

Submitted by ziwaooa on Wed, 2013-01-02 03:18

The "who's who" of the music industry and comedy world were present for a star-studded benefit concert at Madison Square GardenMadison Square Garden in New York City to raise funds for Superstorm Sandy on the much-talked-about date of 12/12/12. The performers included musicians Bruce Springsteen, Sir Paul McCartneyPaul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Eric ClaptonEric Clapton, Alicia KeysAlicia Keys, Kanye WestKanye West, funnymen Jon StewartJon Stewart and Adam Sandler, and more—all of whom rocked the Garden for a good cause. Tickets ranged from $150 all the way up to a whopping $2,500.

Meanwhile, storm victims in New York and New Jersey are struggling to get back to some semblance of normalcy, which is proving decidedly more difficult for some.

There are FEMA trailers in New Jersey but none in New York. More than 300,000 homes were destroyed in NYC and some of these residents in Far Rockaway and Breezy Point Queens, Coney Island and Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn live in storm-damaged homes.

As city officials look for ways to accommodate thousands who need temporary and long-term housing, maritime living is being explored for coastal areas. FEMA is reportedly looking for vessels with singular module units that are capable of housing up to six people. They are also thinking of using containers that can be stacked high on barges in the sea as converted “homes.”

One resident said she didn’t care what they used or where they put them, as long as she had a safe, warm roof over her head. While the homes may seem an odd choice to many, maritime engineer and architect Robert WarrenRobert Warren told ABC News that we “would be amazed at how fast these vessels could be assembled.” He would know since he designs vessels for the US Navy. (Read more on this here.)

Speaking on CNN’s “Starting Point” on Thursday, Shaun Donavan, the secretary of Housing and Urban Development, told host Soledad O’Brien that FEMA was waiting on a $60.4 billion bill to get relief to storm-ravaged areas. He added that $1 billion has already been allocated to states and most of the $60 billion will go towards FEMA relief development.

O’Brien pointed out that many residents are deeply frustrated by the slow progress and help trickling into their areas, to which Donavan replied that because the storm devastation was so widespread, the government alone should not decide what should be done about hard hit areas. He said that half of CBO will be spent by 2015 and that they needed a collective effort, which will have to include communities—on how the relief and rebuilding proceeded from here.

Serious discussions about whether homes should be mandated to be elevated moving forward or whether some areas should even be rebuilt or turned into parks are in the offing. Placing generators and other important equipment in basements or low-lying sections of buildings such as hospitals is another topic, as is what can be done about city subways.

Donavan added that FEMA was currently working on more than 10,000 homes, fixing things like electrical and plumbing issues and that President Obama has asked him to come up with a “National Disaster Framework” to best assess what can be done about future disasters.

We have to start thinking long term in New York aboutthe possibility of spending billions of dollars in recovery, only to rebuilt the same way and get hit by another catastrophic storm. Thus would be doubly devastating. Frankly, we would not have the money to keep rebuilding, nor do we want to lose more lives. The financial and human toll is too great. At least 125 people died during Superstorm Sandy, 104 in New York alone.