Message from Liz...
First, let me re-check in with you all Post-Sandy. During and immediately after the storm we sent out daily updates to try and provide the most timely information (of course if you were "in the dark," you might not have been getting these).
I have also compiled a list of resources and information regarding recovery on my websites at http://krueger.nysenate.gov and www.lizkrueger.com, and there is also information included below in the text of this Community Bulletin. If there are problems you are still facing as a result of the storm, please reach out to my office and let us know how we can be helpful.
Second, let me again thank the more than one thousand of you from here in my district who responded to our calls for volunteers to help those in need throughout Manhattan and the rest of the city following Sandy. The emails and calls my office has received from people who were helped can bring tears to your eyes – really. It also goes without saying that while life in most of Manhattan has returning to a (relative) state of normalcy, there is still a tremendous need for volunteers and donations in the outer boroughs' hardest-hit areas. There is information in the Post-Sandy Updates section of this community bulletin on how to get involved.
Let me also publicly thank my amazing staff and interns who put in unbelievable hours answering phones, coordinating emergency responses with other government agencies, and running food and water up to the apartments of elderly and disabled people – whose family would call us in panic that they had not heard anything for days and could not get here to check on them.
I know that everyone can name the things that went wrong, the ways government and utilities were not prepared, and the frustrations that continue to this day. Clearly, we must reevaluate our city's and our state's emergency preparedness, in light of the changing weather patterns and the increase in extreme weather. But we should also take a minute to pat ourselves on the back for holding together as interdependent neighbors who were there for each other, both in heroic life-saving ways and through small acts of kindness that mattered.
One of my post-Sandy frustrations (which might not even have much to do with the storm) is the recognition of how abominable the election process was in our district – people waited in line for hours at poll sites, many of which were without working scanners or enough poll workers to handle the flow of voters. See the Policy Spotlight section at the end of this bulletin for more thoughts on this problem.
Obviously, I am not angry about the outcome of the election. I thank the people of my district for electing me to serve another term as your State Senator. It is an honor to represent you, and I will continue my efforts to make New York State government more responsive to your needs. . While the final dust hasn't settled on several State Senate races, it is clear that the Senate Democrats have picked up seats and are in a position to potentially be in the majority, which will open new opportunities for advancing important legislation.
And of course, congratulations to President Obama on his reelection, which was so critically important to ensuring continued progress on healthcare reform and economic recovery at the national level. And if I might add one more observation on the Election Day results…women candidates and women voters had an excellent election cycle from a national perspective! Let's hope we put this recent strange and disturbing "war on women as political strategy" far behind us.