NEW YORK (AP) - New York City's novel effort to hasten home repairs after Superstorm Sandy has finished work on more than 20,000 houses and apartments.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Friday that the NYC Rapid Repairs program is expected to complete all its work next week.
It dispatches contractors at government expense. They install boilers, replace electrical panels and do basic work needed to make homes habitable.
The city and the Federal Emergency Management Agency call it an innovative approach. It got about 54,000 people back into their own homes in a city where temporary housing can be scarce and expensive.
Some residents and advocates said the repairs weren't rapid enough, at least in the early going.
At the program's peak, some 2,300 trades people were working on more than 200 homes a day.
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Wednesday, May 22 2013 1:00 PM EDT2013-05-22 17:00:29 GMT
An emotional funeral service has been held for a Hofstra University student who was accidentally shot by police.
An emotional funeral service has been held for a Hofstra University student who was accidentally shot by police. Andrea Rebello's family followed the pastor Wednesday as he led her white cloth-draped coffin to the altar at St. Teresa of Avila Church in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 12:55 PM EDT2013-05-22 16:55:01 GMT
Jersey shore town is celebrating a milestone as it rebuilds from Superstorm Sandy. Belmar officials will reopen their 1.3-mile boardwalk that was destroyed by the October storm.
Jersey shore town is celebrating a milestone as it rebuilds from Superstorm Sandy. Belmar officials will reopen their 1.3-mile boardwalk that was destroyed by the October storm.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 12:27 PM EDT2013-05-22 16:27:26 GMT
Black and Hispanic men are more likely to be stopped in the Bronx and Brooklyn than other boroughs, according to an analysis of police street stop data released Wednesday by the New York Civil Liberties Union.
Black and Hispanic men are more likely to be stopped in the Bronx and Brooklyn than other boroughs, according to an analysis of police street stop data released Wednesday by the New York Civil Liberties Union.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 12:10 PM EDT2013-05-22 16:10:42 GMT
The NYPD arrested a suspect in the latest anti-gay attack in the city, said police.
The NYPD arrested a suspect in the latest anti-gay attack in the city, said police. The incident Monday night involved two men, who police say, had met at the Bowery Mission and went out drinking together in the East Village. Roman Gornell, 39, was arrested on Wednesday.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 8:23 AM EDT2013-05-22 12:23:21 GMT
Ex-congressman Anthony Weiner whose career imploded after raunchy tweets said in a YouTube video announcement that he's in the New York City mayoral race.
Ex-congressman Anthony Weiner whose career imploded after raunchy tweets said in a YouTube video announcement that he's in the New York City mayoral race. A poll released Wednesday placed Weiner in second place behind City Council Speaker Christine Quinn in a Democratic primary.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 8:10 AM EDT2013-05-22 12:10:21 GMT
Commuter rail service from Connecticut to New York City, along with Amtrak service between Boston and New York, was back on schedule Wednesday morning on one of the nation's oldest and most heavily traveled railways.
Commuter rail service from Connecticut to New York City, along with Amtrak service between Boston and New York, was back on schedule Wednesday morning on one of the nation's oldest and most heavily traveled railways.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 7:42 AM EDT2013-05-22 11:42:24 GMT
The National Weather Service is looking into whether a tornado touched down in a rural eastern New York county during a series of severe thunderstorms that rumbled across the upstate region.
The National Weather Service is looking into whether a tornado touched down in a rural eastern New York county during a series of severe thunderstorms that rumbled across the upstate region.
