City Council Earmarks $500 Million for Storm-Tossed Schools and Hospitals

By YVONNE JURIS

The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved appropriating $500 million in emergency for funding city schools and hospitals that suffered severe damages due to Hurricane Sandy.

“We were hit pretty bad” said Council Speaker Christine Quinn in a press conference  before the Council met.

FEMA was expected to reimburse most of the  money, added Quinn. Of the $500 million, $200 would go to repairing schools, and $300 to the Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC). Cleaning oil spills and fixing damaged electrical wiring were cited as two major needs in flooded hospitals.

The storm forced the closing of more than 23 schools, and caused extensive damage to several hospitals.

One of the hospitals to suffer the most damage was Coney Island Hospital in Zone A, which was completely evacuated after losing power due to flooding.

Councilmember Domenic Recchia, who represents Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Brighton Beach and Gravesend and who also serves  as chairman  of the finance committee, suffered much damage  to his own house

“I just want to say how much we appreciate and thank you for all you have done. It touched my heart” he told the committee as it approved the funding measure.

Earlier in the day, Quinn at a UFT fundraiser launched what many observers viewed as an opening shot in the upcoming mayoral contest by becoming thr first potential candidate to espouse major steps to avoid theworst effects of future storms by building floodgates in local harbors and burying all electric wires underground.

Mayor Bloomberg in Rockaway later in the day disparaged the proposals by asking, “Where’s the money gonna come from?

Brooklyn Councilmember Letitia James told an anecdote at the Council meeting: “I met a woman with a thick accent. She was from Russia I think. She grew up near the sea and wanted to live near the sea when she came here. But the sea turned on her. And now all she wants is a plate of food.”