New Yorkers face health risks in clean up from Hurricane Sandy

The newly-sworn in US House is expected to take up a proposal Friday to provide relief for victims of Hurricane Sandy. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle harshly criticized House Speaker John Boehner for refusing to bring the bill to a vote earlier this week.  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie called it a failure of basic public service. Long Island Representative Peter King, whose constituents were hit hard by Sandy, called on New Yorkers not to donate to Boehner’s Republican party.  New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said those affected by the storm are in dire need of assistance.

“That congress was supposed to pass a supplemental that helped families that were hurt in a disaster. That’s what they were supposed to do. That’s what they said they would do, that was the agreement. That’s what the senate had done. And time matters. Because people are in a very bad situation and federal funding can help and time matters.”

As lawmakers stall on the disaster relief funding, many in hard-hit areas are concerned about health issues related to Sandy. The New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health says there’s a host of problems: no standardardized procedures for removing mold or for re-entry into homes and businesses damaged by Sandy; no health registry to monitor those in affected areas and a lack of coordination between governmental agencies. From New York, FSRN’s Linda Perry Barr has more.