Rockaway Starts Petition for FEMA Emergency Housing

With tens of thousands of people in the Rockaways still living without heat, electricity, or running water almost three weeks after Superstorm Sandy, Rockaways groups under the banner of "Greater NYC for Change" have started a petition urging FEMA to set up emergency housing there.

FEMA, however, says there's no space for FEMA trailers in densely-populated New York City, and very limited available rental apartments and hotels. So they are "bent on making flood-soaked homes inhabitable as winter weather moves in," according to CNN.

Officials are focusing on getting power restored, and are jerry-rigging structural repairs to make the homes adequate shelters for incoming winter weather. Repairs could include tarps, plastic and plywood, says CNN.

According to the Queens Tribune, the Long Island Power Authority has removed the Rockaways from its power outage map, citing the area as simply too damaged by Superstorm Sandy to restore electrical service at this time.

About 10,000 people have signed the petition for FEMA housing so far.

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The photo above shows a type of emergency alternative housing designed by the Federation of American Scientists that is safer than the FEMA trailers used after Hurricane Katrina, which emitted dangerous formaldehyde.

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