According to an NPR report this morning, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said long-term housing would be needed for between 30,000-40,000 thousand New York City residents.
Additionally, “The mayor said 114 public housing buildings, home to 21,000 people, are still without power in New York City and there is still no heat and hot water in 174 public housing buildings that are home to 35,000 people,” and with temperatures dipping to freezing, the need is urgent.
This figure is only for the 5 boroughs of New York City, not Nassau or Suffolk counties or residents displaced in other hard hit states.
Natural disasters occur, and in a blink people lose everything they have worked for and acquired over a lifetime. Is there any way to really prepare for such catastrophic occurences? What can we expect our nation to do to support displaced people? Should housing and basic needs alone be the priority, or should we be looking to ease the trauma of such an abrupt, unexpected transition.
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No, there is no way to prepare because one never really knows how bad the damage or what the needs will be after a catastrophe.
Hotels need to cater to those without housing with the city and federal government paying or at least paying most of the cost.
Hotels for adults only, hotels for families, etc……
Soup kitchens, restaurants need to cater to families for food. Again, the city and the federal government should pay most of this cost with private donations, Red Cross, etc assisting-think after Katrina what happened, Haiti…..