When will the dust and mud be gone?

It's been almost a month since Hurricane Sandy and Manhattan Beach is still covered in dusty mud. People continue to clear debris and destroyed items from their houses. I saw something that reminded me of an antique looking wurlitzer-like piano brought out from a basement. It's eery to see the white-glazed highrise on West End and Oriental is still missing its balcony railings.

Ocean Avenue

Sunken steps at Beaumont & Esplanade

Oriental Boulevard

Beaumont Street

St. Margaret Mary Parish grounds

St. Margaret Mary Parish grounds

MTA sends train components to Rockaways

I don't know why I have such a soft spot for the mechanics of the MTA subway system all the time.  But the Gothamist's feature on the MTA's photos of train cabs being sent to the Rockaways pulls some more heartstrings:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtaphotos/8163027892/in/set-72157631949862962/

In other MTA news, the D and F train service has been restored to Stillwell Avenue as of this morning.

It was strange to return to Manhattan for work today, having not been in the city since October 26.  I couldn't help but think about the elderly people I hear are trapped at the upper floors of many Coney Island apartment buildings with few resources and visitors.  My attempts to contact volunteer agencies that bring food and supplies up to the 7th through 20th floor were not fruitful.  Hikes up the unlit stairwells, I was told, are only done during daylight hours. So I will not be able to put my pipe scaffolding climbing stamina to good use yet.

Red Stickers

DOB inspectors are on Corbin Place checking for structural stability issues. Photographed building numbers 286 and noted 295.

As per DNAinfo.com:

The Department of Buildings has to send an inspector to the Zone A buildings one by one to determine whether they're safe and structurally sound, Bloomberg said at a press conference.
Larger buildings will be allowed to self-certify whether their buildings are safe to enter, Bloomberg said.

Red stickers mean the buildings are not safe to enter, yellow means caution, and green stickers mean you can enter, Bloomberg said.

More information can be found here from the Buildings' Department website:
A NYC Department of Buildings green sticker issued after inspection authorizes re-occupancy of such building. In lieu of a Department inspection, an owner may obtain a green sticker upon satisfaction of both of the following:

1. Submission to the NYC Department of Buildings of a certified report by a NYS licensed professional engineer or registered architect certifying the following:
• There is no standing water in the building;
• The building is structurally sound;
• All required life safety systems, including but not limited to, fire alarms, sprinklers, standpipes,
carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, are intact and in good working order;
• If there is an elevator, at least one working elevator serves all floors; and
• The building is otherwise safe to occupy.
2. The building has electrical power or a working emergency generator to power all required life safety systems.

ALL SUBMISSIONS
All submissions including certified reports in accordance with the above shall be submitted to the following email address reoccupyzonea@buildings.nyc.gov or to one of the Department
Borough Offices. For any variation from the above requirements, the NYS licensed professional engineer or registered architect must first submit a request for variation determination to reoccupydeterminations@buildings.nyc.gov.