Local church healing after act of God

By Matthew Lysiak
The Brooklyn Paper

Parishioners of the tornado-ravaged Fourth Avenue Presbyterian Church didn’t let the shortage of light diminish their worship on Sunday.

Members of the congregation were just glad to get back in their pews for the first regular service since the tornado twisted through the building on Aug. 8.

“I have heard people say it was a miracle that no one was hurt,” said Rev. David Aja-Sigmon. “We all feel so fortunate.”

Of course, the church building is a different story.

In one of the tornado’s most-enduring visuals, the church’s centerpiece, a 25-foot stained-glass window installed in 1951 was found shattered into a million pieces on the Fourth Avenue sidewalk.

That wasn’t the only damage.

During the last seven weeks, the church also had its carpet replaced, the walls redone and work done on the pews while the congregants prayed on folding chairs in the basement. The final estimates for all the damage aren’t in yet, but Aja-Sigmon says that insurance will cover most of it.

The rest is a matter of faith — and ingenuity.

“We are going to have to get creative, but we will be able to handle it,” said Aja-Sigmon.

Aja-Sigmon says the repairs will take time. The boarded-up hole that once housed the stained-glass window displays a small photo of the window’s former glory. It could take as long as a year before it is restored.

The church won’t get any handouts from Uncle Sam — religious institutions are ineligible for FEMA grants — but Aja-Sigmon’s spirit is undaunted.

“Everyone is safe and this community has been great to us,” said Aja-Sigmon. “What more can we ask for?”

Bush’s tornado aid goes to Queens, not Brooklyn

By Matthew Lysiak
The Brooklyn Paper

President Bush will send disaster relief funds to victims of the Aug. 8 storm that unleashed a tornado on Bay Ridge — but the White House is only sending money to Queens, not Brooklyn.

As you might imagine, local officials in Bay Ridge are buzzing like a Category 1 twister.

“People are having difficulty recovering from the tornado because the process for making a decision has been too slow,” said Rep. Vito Fossella (R–Bay Ridge), who had urged the Federal Emergency Management Agency — and his fellow Republican at the head of the executive branch — to do the right thing by Bay Ridge.

Hundreds of cars, houses and roofs were damaged or destroyed by the tornado’s 136-mile-per-hour winds that touched down around 67th Street between Fourth and Seventh avenues.

The tornado may have touched down in Bay Ridge, but Queens, not Brooklyn, bore the brunt of the damage, said FEMA spokeswoman Barbara Lynch.

“The borough of Queens was really in a lot worse shape,” said Lynch. “That’s why residents of Queens will be the only ones eligible for the aid at this time.”

Indeed, news coverage of the storm did focus on the first-ever tornado in Bay Ridge, but in Queens, more than 1,300 homes were damaged, compared to 80 in Brooklyn. There was also extensive flooding in Queens.

Lynch said that Brooklyn could still get a piece of the federal relief pie, but as in the Sept. 1 relief announcement, that decision must be made by the president.

Fossella met with FEMA officials last Friday and demanded a recount.

“I spoke with top officials to express the community’s frustration,” said Fossella.

The agency agreed to Fossella’s request to re-examine how and where the relief money was allocated.

Emergency tree meeting in Ridge

By Matthew Lysiak
The Brooklyn Paper

Got trees? Local officials hope the city does — and they’ve scheduled an emergency meeting to figure out how to get new foliage planted quickly in tornado-devastated areas of Bay Ridge.

Hundreds of trees were lost in the Aug. 8 twister — and timing is everything. “We need to get these trees planted as soon as possible,” said Community Board 10 District Manager Josephine Beckmann. “Some areas have lost almost half their trees.” Trees can only be planted during spring and fall, so unless the city acts quickly, refoliating the barren areas would have to wait until next year.

But CB10 is going to take its case to the Parks Department’s Brooklyn Borough Commissioner, Julius Spiegel, who will be at the emergency meeting.

The tornado touched down near 67th Street and Fourth Avenue.


CB10 Parks Committee (621 86th St., between Fort Hamilton Parkway and Gatlin Place), Sept. 6, 7:45 pm. Call (718) 745-6827 for info.

FEMA to Ridge: Ask Bush

By Matthew Lysiak
The Brooklyn Paper

Federal disaster aid for residents of Bay Ridge who were pummeled by the Aug. 8 tornado is being held up until President Bush, who is on vacation in Texas for the rest of the month, decides whether he wants to release the funds.

Gov. Spitzer formally requested disaster relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Monday — and called for swift action by the federal bureaucracy.

FEMA inspectors did make their own damage assessments on Aug. 13 and sent a recommendation to the president. But the buck has stopped — and apparently stalled — there, according to FEMA spokeswoman Barbara Lynch, who said the rare tornado may not have generated enough media coverage to get the president’s limited attention.

“Higher-profile cases seem to move a lot faster,” said Lynch. “This situation didn’t get the media attention it warranted.”

Lynch said agency inspectors were “just flabbergasted” by the millions of dollars of damage caused by the tornado — whose 136 mile-per-hour winds destroyed or damaged hundreds of cars and dozens of homes in the area around 67th Street between Fourth and Seventh avenues.

But if the president shares that flabbergasted feeling, he hasn’t expressed it yet. A call to the White House was not returned by deadline — and Spitzer’s office hasn’t heard a thing yet, either.

“All we can do is urge the president to act,” said Paul Larrabee, a Spitzer spokesperson. “We are working to expedite this process and to bring the urgency of this situation to the attention of the White House.”

Residents waiting for aid better not hold their breath. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty applied for federal help after the very-high-profile bridge collapse on Aug. 1 — but the White House only released the funds on Aug. 21.

For Brooklyn residents rendered roofless by the storm, a three-week delay would be too long.

“This is ridiculous that help is so slow to come,” said Hassan Hakmoun, who last week was busy moving his relatives out of their damaged house at 339 Bay Ridge Ave. “We all pay our taxes, but the government doesn’t like giving it up.”

The president will remain on his Crawford ranch through August.

Tornado brings out the best

By Matthew Lysiak
The Brooklyn Paper

Sometimes government can work. That was the rare conclusion of this columnist, whose libertarian politics range somewhere in that tight anti-government space between Frederic Bastiat and Milton Friedman. But after the remarkably quick and efficient response by our local government officials in the wake of last Wednesday’s tornado, even I have to tip my hat.

It wasn’t easy. Yellow Hooker is naturally cynical of people deciding what I should eat, smoke and how to spend my paycheck (damn those never-ending Ratner subsidies!), never mind entrusting the same people who gave us the Department of Motor Vehicles with protecting me in a time of crisis (one word: FEMA).

Still, local officials deserve credit for an organized and well implemented plan in quickly getting Bay Ridge back on its feet and minimizing the effect of the first tornado to touch down in Brooklyn in over a century.

In short, it was an example of government at its best — at a time when the community was most in need. After all, Bay Ridge was hit by a tornado!

The rare twister that ripped through our community came like a thief in the morning.

Residents were awakened between 5:30 and 6 am by the sound of car alarms, thunder, and trees crashing down to the ground as the powerful wind attacked.

Tornadoes have hit New York City before, but not often. The National Weather Service had records of at least five, but none was as strong as Wednesday’s twister, which had winds as high as 135 mph. The last reported tornado sighting in Brooklyn was in ’89 — 1889, that is.

Given that roofs were ripped off houses and trees were flying all over the place, you’d think residents would be in a state of sheer panic. But actually, they weren’t. Most residents could be found calmly waiting for emergency personnel to arrive. Some were going door-to-door to check on their neighbors, while others waited next to their smashed-up cars in their housecoats and robes drinking their coffee.

Perhaps residents knew something about local emergency crews that this columnist did not. It was a thing of beauty.

Fire trucks and police cars immediately arrived at the hardest-hit spots.

Workers were in a state of constant motion, first making sure people were safe, then clearing debris and directing traffic. A full-blown symphony was taking place right before my eyes with the entire community in full harmony.

By 2 pm, almost all the streets were cleared and life in Bay Ridge was beginning to have a feel of normalcy again.

Of course, for residents who no longer have a roof to sleep under, it may take some time before normalcy really takes hold, but Bay Ridge was quickly back in business.

At the risk of losing some of my libertarian street cred, this columnist must admit a newfound confidence in those commissars of local government.

But then again, I didn’t have to use public transportation that morning.

The Kitchen Sink
The Red Cross is now accepting donations for those in need after last Wednesday’s tornado. Stop by Councilman Vince Gentile’s office, located at 8703 Third Ave., for more info. …

Take comfort, women. Rep. Vito Fossella (R–Bay Ridge) called on the Japanese government to apologize to the 200,000 “comfort women” who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Army in the 1930s and ’40s. …

Our pal Chiu Tran was just named to the Dean’s List at SUNY Binghamton. …

So, you think you can dance? Check out the guy in the wheelchair. Local legend Carmine Santa Maria may find it hard to walk, but that hasn’t stopped him from his work as a dance instructor. “I can’t walk too well, but I know how to teach it,” said Santa Maria. For more info, call (718) 946-0234. …

The Brooklyn Chapter of the American Institute of Architects is helping homeowners whose properties were damaged in last week’s tornado to find architects to do the repairs. Call (718) 259-0070. But before doing any work, get a permit from the Department of Buildings, which can be reached at (718) 802-4035. …

State Sen. Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge) hosted a public hearing at Fort Hamilton Army base on Wednesday to discuss local homeland security issues, such as the safety of the Buckeye jet fuel pipeline that runs through the neighborhood. Community Board 10 Chairman Dean Rasinya was also there.


©2007 The Brooklyn Paper

Tornado hits, killing trees, damaging homes

The Brooklyn Paper

This story was reported by Matthew Lysiak for The Brooklyn Paper and by Associated Press reporters including Verena Dobnik.

A rare tornado ripped through Bay Ridge early Wednesday, uprooting trees, damaging homes and cars, and knocking out subway service during the morning rush hour.

The related storm whipped through the rest of Brooklyn, wreaking havok.

Residents were awakened between 5:30 and 6 am by the sound of car alarms, thunder, and trees crashing down to the ground as the powerful wind and rain storm attacked.

Tornadoes have hit New York City before, but not often. The National Weather Service had records of at least five, but none was as strong as Wednesday’s twister, which had winds as high as 135 mph.

The service had only sketchy details on the last reported tornado sighting in Brooklyn, in 1889.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event,” said Jeffrey Tongue, a Weather Service meteorologist.

In Bay Ridge, the worst area may have been Ovington Avenue between Ridge Boulevard and Third Avenue. Some of trees on the block were ripped out of the ground, while the few trees left standing had large limbs pulled off.

Spectators in awe of nature’s wrath crowded emergency crews. Others gathered at the busy intersection of 68th Street and Third Avenue, taking pictures of the a large tree that uprooted an entire square of sidewalk.

Few streets escaped damage.

“I have lived here for 38 years and this is one of the worst I remember,” said resident Henry Putko. “The storm came through and just ripped up everything in its path.”

The roads weren’t the only things affected. The R Train was temporarily shut down, as were several subways lines in Downtown Brooklyn.

“One big rain and it all falls apart,” said Ruby Russell, 64, as she sat waiting on a train in Brooklyn. She had been trying to get to Manhattan for three hours.

State Sen. Marty Golden asked Gov. Spitzer to proclaim Bay Ridge a disaster area because of the weather and, more specifically, the “tornado and flash flooding that ripped through the area.”

“I have witnessed the significant damage caused by the winds and flash flooding which requires a rapid and coordinated response,” Golden said. “It’s imperative that the governor acts quickly and does the right thing for these communities so that the people have access to all resources and financial assistance.”

One man standing by his car surveyed the damage done by a falling tree while waiting for the fire trucks to get to his street.

“This kind of wind looks like it was a tornado,” said Anjan Rau, as his car sat smothered by a giant branch. “I hope my insurance is going to cover this.”

There were no immediate reports of injuries, and Community Board 10 was out on the streets getting estimates of the damage, according to the office.

Keeping the subways dry is a challenge, even in regular weather. On an average day, hundreds of MTA pumps remove 13 million gallons of water from the system.

Public officials called for improvements in the drainage system after a similar rain-related shutdown in 1999, and the MTA made some changes after another round of paralyzing tunnel floods in 2004, when the remnants of Hurricane Frances washed out the subways for hours.

The city’s sewer and stormwater drains can handle steady rain, “but when it comes to these very intense, high inch-count rain events, over a short period of time, it is very difficult,” said Michael Saucier, a spokesman for the city’s Department of Environmental Protection.

DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd said the city is spending $300-million per year upgrading its piping systems and has been gradually building a more robust stormwater drainage system to replace the old combined sewers that handled wastewater and rain.