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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Efforts to Get NYers Back to Normal – and Ready for Next Sandy

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Friday, October 25, 2013   

NEW YORK – A year ago, New Yorkers were making ready for Superstorm Sandy – and now, helping agencies report major strides in assisting those who were affected by the storm.

Susan Dooha, executive director of the Center for the Independence of the Disabled in New York, says her group has been busy ever since Sandy roared ashore, helping people with disabilities to get back to life as normal.

"We've replaced ramps, wheelchairs, vans,” she says. “We've helped people go home from the hotels. We've connected people with mental health services to help them deal with the trauma they've experienced."

Dooha adds while many nonprofits and social service agencies have been proactive in responding to Sandy, she is concerned that the City of New York is still behind the curve, in its response to the last storm and advance planning for the next one.

Melba Torres was stuck on the eighth floor of New York City public housing during Superstorm Sandy. Today, she is concerned that the city has not done enough to prepare for the next major storm, such as having folks ready to run elevators.

"I have a motorized wheelchair, a power chair,” she says. “They weigh at least 500 to 600 pounds. I wish they would have a team of people that would be trained on how to mobilize people, if need be."

New York City says it's doing surveys of buildings used as shelters, although a judge has told the city that those buildings aren't accessible. And Dooha says the court will have the final say on that issue.

"We've been waiting now for seven months, because people with disabilities were left out of emergency planning and disaster response,” she adds. “We don't know when their decision will come, but we hope that it comes before the anniversary. "

She says her group continues to work on disaster relief.






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