"Plenty of rat stories, and plenty of doubt, in wake of Sandy in NYC" by David B. Caruso | Associated Press, February 23, 2013
NEW YORK — At the height of Hurricane Sandy, city residents watching seawater pour into the subway system couldn’t help but wonder: What will become of all the rats?
Four months later, that’s still a mystery.
And experts aren’t so sure about stories of hordes of displaced rodents fleeing the flood zone and taking up residence in buildings that were previously rat-free.
TV stations and newspapers have been rife with reports about rats infesting parked cars and fleeing the East River waterfront for the brownstones of Brooklyn Heights and exterminators enjoying a boom in business.
For some city officials, the last straw came a week ago when a rodent problem forced a two-day closure of Magnolia Bakery, a Manhattan landmark often credited with starting a national cupcake craze. Within days, a city councilwoman floated a proposal to create a $500,000 emergency rat mitigation program for storm-impacted neighborhoods.
But the city’s Health Department, which collects data about the rat population and maps infestations looking for trends, said rodent complaints had declined since the late October storm, which was spawned when Hurricane Sandy merged with two other weather systems.
‘‘The Health Department conducted extensive inspections in flood zones after Hurricane Sandy, provided guidance to home owners, and baited the area. But we did not see an increase in the rat population,’’ the agency said in a statement. ‘‘Large storms can flush out rats, but they also drown many rats, and the net effect of large storms is often a decrease in the rat population.’’
The number of rodent-related citations issued by health inspectors has dropped as well.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the city’s subway system, the nation’s largest, also dismissed tales of rats being stirred up by Sandy.
‘‘We noticed no unusual rat activity or rodent activity in the wake of the storm,’’ agency spokesman Charles Seaton said.
He also said that when water was pumped out of flooded tunnels and stations, there weren’t large numbers of rat carcasses left behind.
The idea of a mass rat migration drew ridicule from Richard Reynolds, who leads a group of dog owners who conduct urban rat hunts.
‘‘What happened to the rats? Nothing! We’re finding rats right where we’ve always found them,’’ he said. ‘‘I think this whole idea that there has been some kind of major relocation of rats is just good news media fodder.’’
Hard scientific data, though, is still largely lacking, and there is plenty of room for debate.
Retired pest control expert Dale Kaukeinen, who spent 30 years in the extermination business, said his first instinct was that Sandy probably decimated the rodent population in some neighborhoods. But he said he couldn’t rule out the possibility that displaced rats had moved into new territory.
‘‘They are adaptable. They can swim,’’ he said.
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Ah, the symphony of destruction.
"A living, lurking threat in Sandy-hit homes: mold" Associated Press, February 04, 2013
NEW YORK — Three months after Hurricane Sandy, mold lurks in once-waterlogged buildings, hiding below subflooring, along foundations, and in door and window frames. Sometimes it mottles walls in plain sight. And it can make dwellers sick, another blow to people still recovering from the October storm that sent the Atlantic surging into homes in New Jersey and New York....
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"N.J. hurricane debris poses threat to tourism; Cleanup will not be simple, fast, or inexpensive" by Wayne Parry | Associated Press, February 18, 2013
MANTOLOKING, N.J. — Coastal areas of New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut are racing to remove untold tons of debris from waters hardest hit by the Oct. 29 storm before the summer swimming and boating seasons begin — two of the main reasons people flock there each year and the underpinning of the region’s multibillion-dollar tourist industry.
The sunken debris presents an urgent safety issue. Swimmers could cut themselves on submerged junk, step on one of thousands of boardwalk nails ripped loose, or suffer neck or spinal injuries diving into solid objects. Boats could hit debris, pitching their occupants overboard, or in severe cases, sinking. The cleanup won’t be easy, fast, or cheap.
‘‘The amount of debris that needs to be removed is mind-boggling,’’ Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey said....
Especially when you consider the conventional narrative that Obama cleaned this up right quick.
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"Plovers’ return complicates cleanup on Fire Island; Storm debris must go before beaches close" by Frank Eltman | Associated Press, February 20, 2013
Old refrigerators and stoves, rotting wood, sheet rock, and vegetation make up the mammoth amount of Superstorm Sandy debris waiting to be hauled off Fire Island, the 32-mile-long barrier island east of New York City that is a vacation destination for tens of thousands every summer.
Homeowners and businesses are anxious to prepare — and repair — ahead of the vacation season but one visitor’s planned arrival is creating an even more pressing deadline.
The return of an endangered bird species known as the piping plover will soon severely restrict truck access as fences are erected to protect their sensitive nesting areas on the beach. If officials don’t get the estimated 82,500 cubic yards of trash removed by the end of March, they’ll have to haul the remaining debris by barge.
Access to the beachfront by vehicle will be banned until after September, according to environmentalists.
The looming deadline has officials scrambling....
The piping plover is protected in many Atlantic Coast states, but the issue on Fire Island is particularly acute in the aftermath of Sandy....
Related: Globe Walks Gulf Coast Beaches
No Day at the Boston Globe Beach
Just watch where you step.
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Related: Sandy’s wake leaves shore birds in dire straits
Bloomberg outlines plan for 1st billion dollars in Sandy aid
Sandy was second-costliest hurricane in US
Katrina was the costliest, and the bus tour will show you they still haven't cleaned that up yet.
Also see: Sweeping Up Sandy Coverage
Sure is taking them long enough.
