Damaged or flooded apartment or business? Check out these resources for help

Over on Brokelyn, they’ve published a great list of resources in case your apartment or business has sustained damage or flooding from Hurricane Sandy.

Even if you were hyper-responsible and remembered to get renters insurance (thanks roommate), turns out weather related flooding is considered an “Act of God” (cue boiling blood) and is not covered anyway. While a week ago your basement apartment was filled with secondhand and Ikea junk, now it’s a den of gross black mold. Your landlord’s insurance policy will cover the structural damage, but your personal property is your own problem. Our Congresswoman, Nydia M. Velázquez, put together the following list of contact information for federal, state, and city emergency relief and response programs to help you and your small business recover from this terrible disaster asap.

Here are the agencies that can help, in a quick and dirty list:

Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) – apply for assistance starting October 31^st
http://www.disasterassistance.gov

Small Business Administration (SBA) – apply for a disaster loan after registering w/FEMA
http://www.sba.gov/content/applying-disaster-loan
1-800-659-2955 (TTY: 1-800-877-8339)
disastercustomerservice@sba.gov

Red Cross – if you are a displaced resident, they have a network of emergency shelters and can guide you to one.
http://app.redcross.org/nss-app/
1-877-733-2767

New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) – they provide “leadership and support for efforts to respond to, and recover from, natural disasters and other emergencies”
http://www.dhses.ny.gov/oem/event/sandy/sandy-info.cfm
1-888-769-7243 or 1-518-485-1159

Office of Emergency Management (OEM) – coordinate emergency response and recovery, have emergency info, and know the status of utility and transportation fixes, and can help you find an emergency shelter (here are the shelters in Queens)
http://www.nyc.gov/html/oem/html/home/home.shtml
718-422-8700

NYC Small Business Services (SBS) – helps biz owners learn what to do after a hurricane
http://www.nyc.gov/html/sbs/html/home/hurricane_sandy_businesses.shtml
311

Notify NYC – NYC’s official source for updates on transportation, school closings, etc.
https://a858-nycnotify.nyc.gov/notifynyc/
311 to register for updates

ConEd:  www.conEd.com – report downed power lines, outages, and check service restoration status by computer or mobile device )
1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633)

What to do if your apartment or business has flood damage [Brokelyn]