In a stunning reversal from the past, NYCHA held a great meeting Monday night at the Miccio Center. The purpose was to present preliminary plans for an upgrade of the Red Hook Houses using money that FEMA has granted for improving the development to better cope with future flood disasters. A common complaint at many prior meetings NYCHA has held since Sandy is […]
Sandy Related
Red Hook Summit promotes unified resiliency at the Summit Academy, by George Fiala
The first Red Hook Summit was held in June, 2013 as the community was in initial Sandy recovery. It was an invitation-only event, held at Pioneer Works and included food and presentations on community organizing. It was funded by a group called the Red Hook Coalition. The Coalition was put together after Sandy and was a consortium of local […]
CB 6 votes against proposed Red Hook nursing home, by George Fiala
The Oxford Nursing Home proposal for a zoning change (ULURP) in Red Hook received a setback at the December 3 meeting of Community Board 6’s (CB6) landmark/land use committee. A motion against the plan was passed 11-5, with one abstention. On December 9th, the full CB6 board will meet at Borough Hall for a final vote. It then travels to […]
Alexandros Washburn, Red Hook’s resiliency expert, by Halley Bondy
When Sandy’s historic surge hit Red Hook three years ago, Alexandros Washburn stayed put in his Van Brunt Street row house. He didn’t stay because of blind pride or a delusion of safety. Rather, he stayed to learn. As he watched the storm leak through his roof and flood his ground floor with three feet of filthy water, he took note […]
City Comptroller calls Build It Back “a case study in dysfunction”, by George Fiala
In June, 2014, at a meeting at PS 15, Amy Peterson, Mayor de Blasio’s head of the Build It Back program, spoke to residents about the Build It Back program. We wrote at the time: “New York City’s answer to the major damage from Hurricane Sandy was meant to offer millions of dollars of assistance to families and businesses reconstructing […]
Our Sandy memories – Kimberly Gail Price & George Fiala
The second anniversary of Superstorm Sandy is just about upon us. Many of our readers are intimately and painfully aware of these images. We are grateful for all the recovery work that has occurred in the past two years, and all that continues. We share these photos with all our readers in mind. – George & Kimberly
PortSide NewYork & other hidden Sandy Stories, by Portside
This story was written collaboratively by the PortSide team Dan Goncharoff, Peter Rothenberg, Carolina Salguero and John Weaver. Andrea Sansom provided recommendations about the overall message and editing advice. PortSide NewYork has been invited by the Red Hook Star Revue to tell our Sandy story, a story largely hidden, like so many in Red Hook. We believe our story offers […]
Ready Red Hook Day binds community, by Keith Klein
On October 29th 2012, Superstorm Sandy decimated the neighborhood, with over 6,000 residents losing power for 3 weeks. There was catastrophic flooding everywhere. The financial destruction caused by Sandy has only been surpassed on a per capita basis by that of Hurricane Katrina. While the forces of Mother Nature can’t be controlled, it does not mean people shouldn’t plan for future […]
Artisan to Entrepreneur graduates speak, by George Fiala
On September 8th, ten local business owners gathered at Atelier Roquette for a graduation ceremony. They were all members of what all agreed was a tremendous learning experience. For many, it was an emotional experience as well, as they got to know their fellow merchants even better, as well as understanding what made them tick, and how they could further […]
Red Hook Volunteers in a fix, by Diehl Edwards
The Red Hook Volunteers (RHV) have played a crucial role in the recovery efforts since Sandy. The group originated as committed individuals who came to Red Hook to help after the storm. They helped coordinate the flood of volunteers who came from all over to help. But nearly two years after, the Volunteers are fighting to keep their doors open. […]