This just in via email from Management:

As you all know two weeks ago Hurricane Sandy came through our area and we are still doing repairs and suffering the consequences of this storm. After the water came on, there were multiple leaks in the buildings, specifically Building 2 (573, 575 & 577 Grand Street), which caused damage to two of our main electric lines now needing repair.

Therefore, we will have to close the electric lines in Building 2 (573, 575 & 577 Grand Street). The water pumps which are located in Building 2 will be powered by a generator which has been rented for this purpose. This generator was not available last week, and was recently returned following the storm. We will hook the generator to the water pumps first, so our water service will not be suspended. However, there will be no additional electricity, including no elevators and no lights for no longer than 4 hours, from 11am to 3pm, Thursday, November 15, 2012 in Building 2 ONLY. The laundry room will also be closed. Computer and electronics users – please take care to unplug your equipment before leaving for the day.

To accommodate this shutdown we will have maintenance personnel stationed every few floors in the stairwells with flashlights to assist in stairwell use. There will also be chairs in the lobby to accommodate people entering and leaving the building.

We scheduled this work during the day to complete all repairs prior to sunset, before people come back home from work. For any apartment requiring special emergency medical needs please telephone our Maintenance Department to detail your request.

We are very sorry for this inconvenience occurring so close to our recent storm experience.

Please call the office with any questions or concerns.

Another storm-related memo in our email inboxes tonight, this one with three odd bits of information:

We would like to remind you to make sure that you have proper supplies at your home, such as water, food, flashlights and batteries, since the weather report was correct and another storm is upon us. We wish to assure you that both the Maintenance Department and Boiler Room will be fully staffed, and Management will be open to be helpful to any resident in need.

Residents of low-lying areas like Long Beach are being warned that some areas hit by last week’s storm could flood again during the current nor’easter, but so far there have not been any similar warnings for us. Should we be filling our tubs with water? Will Management be open even if power is lost? Hopefully we won’t have the need to find out.

Due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy and our continuing efforts to normalize operations at the Co-op, the annual meeting that was to be held on November 27th, 2012 will be rescheduled to a later date. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Considering that we were able to hold a full federal election yesterday, only one week after Sandy hit, it’s surprising with three more weeks to prepare we’ll still be unable to pull off an election for the Board of Directors. (Still more surprising is that the very first sentence of our corporation bylaws names November as the month our annual meeting shall be held.)

In addition, due to the recent power outage from the storm last week, Con Edison is offering residents reimbursement for food and medicine loss.

Please see the link below to submit your claim.

http://www.coned.com/customercentral/brochures/Residential_Claim_Form_English.pdf

Actually following the link provided reveals this note from ConEd:

Claims for reimbursement for losses sustained as of result of power outages caused by storms or other conditions beyond our control will not be paid.

So that’s all crystal clear, right?

November 5, 2012

Dear Fellow Cooperators,

Hurricane Sandy presented new and unforeseen challenges to all of us. We are thankful to have weathered this storm of unprecedented magnitude with minor damage to our property. We endured physical hardships but are returning to our daily life with new insight.

At the Board’s emergency meeting this evening we discussed and assessed the events of this past week. We are actively pursuing the purchase of natural gas generators, specifically to maintain the buildings’ water supply, while keeping in mind the need to protect new investments from future natural disasters. This is now possible because of our decision to go forward with the improvements to our power plant.

We would like to acknowledge the tireless, devoted, and caring service our maintenance staff and security guards provided during and after the storm. In addition to keeping up with garbage disposal, our maintenance staff and porters went through buildings to check on residents and bring them water, food, batteries, and flashlights. Maintenance worked around the clock to deal with any emergency issues. Heshey Jacob, Sol Wenig, Bob Westcott, and James Ritchie were on‐site throughout the week.

In the Lower East Side tradition of community service, Assembly Speaker Silver and Council Speaker Quinn provided huge amounts of meals and water to sustain us during this emergency. We helped Seward Park with their downed trees and they assisted us with getting glow sticks for our hallways. Hatzalah heroically evacuated 80 residents from Hillman and East River and a baby was born by candlelight on Tuesday morning in Hillman.

Maintenance and the Boiler room phone lines were down due to flooding. However, they are now back to normal. Our regular phone numbers are: Management, 212‐677‐5858; Maintenance, 212-677-5744.

WHAT TO EXPECT

• Late fees for carrying charges will be delayed by two weeks after the bills are distributed.

• Recyclables are currently not being picked up the City. Until further notice, please keep your recyclables in your apartment. The compactors are up and running. But there may be residual backup of garbage in the chutes now that residents are returning and emptying spoiled food from their refrigerators. When City garbage service is back to normal the chutes will be cleaned and disinfected. With the help of our maintenance staff, we were able to clear out our garbage chutes by hand during the emergency, and secure garbage trucks to pick it up while others around the City could not.
• Our elevators are in service. Our General Manager Heshey Jacob was able to get round the clock elevator repair coverage during the week and our elevators were up and running as soon as power was restored.

IN CLOSING

Many residents in lower Manhattan are still without heat and hot water. We all know about the devastation and continued suffering throughout our region. We are extremely lucky to be relatively unscathed. The most important thing is every one of our cooperators is safe. However, the City’s need is great and if you are able to help there are many options. You can email nycservice@cityhall.nyc.gov with your name, email address, and borough to volunteer in the coming days, or visit www.nycservice.org.

In preparation for future storms, we urge you to be prepared with water, food, a flashlight, and batteries; a battery‐operated or crank‐operated radio is also essential.

Again, if you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Warm regards,

East River Board of Directors

Sandy’s coming …

TO EAST RIVER & HILLMAN HOUSING
COOPERATORS

FROM: SHULIE WOLLMAN

RE: UPCOMING WEATHER / HURRICANE WARNING

There is a strong likelihood that Hurricane Sandy will approach and affect New York City sometime Monday afternoon/evening or Tuesday. At this point we continue to monitor all Emergency response systems, but they do not know on Friday afternoon how strongly it will hit our area. Watch areas include as far north as Maine and as far west as Ohio. This is potentially a dangerous storm.

Please be advised that we are now preparing for this storm and ask residents to keep their windows closed and locked, and remove all objects from their balconies, including furniture and plants. Please make sure balcony drains are clear of debris. Strong winds are predicted and those winds will cause objects, which are not tied down to become projectiles. Please take this warning seriously and prepare accordingly with ample food and water for 3 days, and other essential items including any necessary medical prescriptions, flashlights, etc. You should also have a working radio with batteries.

Depending on the severity of the storm our main office might have to be closed, but our Maintenance office will remain open for emergency only.

Stay safe and stay indoors.