FEMA Closes Due To Weather, NYC Buildings Department Preventing People From Returning Home

They're from the government and they're here to help

An early nor'easter hit the Northeast yesterday, dropping snow on areas still recovering from last week's superstorm. It sent some people back into the dark, and delayed others from returning to their homes. The government, of course, is eager to help people in need, and FEMA showed up in the New York area last week. FEMA was on it for the nor'easter. From FoxNews.com:

"FEMA packed up everything yesterday and left the area," said MaryLou Wong, whose home in the Midland Beach neighborhood was destroyed. "They haven't come back."

…it didn't sit right with many that FEMA, citing the weather, closed temporary recovery centers - where people apply for help - as the nor'easter bore down on the borough. They closed Tuesday at 6 p.m. due to safety concerns in advance of the nor'easter that hit the borough.

"We moved our mobile stations to a staging area for 24 hours to ensure the safety of our workers and others," said FEMA spokeswoman Hannah Vick. "These places are not shelters. We certainly did not want people traveling out to these locations during last night's storm."

The city government's still hard at work though, making sure people don't go back to their homes until the city is sure it's safe. Back to FoxNews.com:

The city Buildings Department was going door to door in Staten Island's hard-hit neighborhoods and posting color-coded placards on homes to notify residents if they could go back in.

"In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, our inspectors have been canvassing the City, inspecting affected buildings and tagging them with green, yellow or red placards based on their condition," said Ryan Fitzgibbon, a spokeswoman for the Department of Buildings. "This is part of our rapid assessment process to conduct as many initial inspections as quickly as possible and provide New Yorkers with information on the status of their buildings."

Green and yellow placards signify the home is safe to re-enter, but for homes with red placards, the city advises residents to "hire a New York State-licensed professional (Registered Architect or Professional Engineer) to file plans with the department and a hire a contractor to make the necessary repairs.

They're from the government, people, and they're there to help!