The city is offering post-storm assistance to business and property owners

As Lower Manhattan and other areas of New York City continue to recover since Hurricane Sandy, city agencies have shared updated permit, inspection, and other information specifically to assist building owners and construction managers.

The city Department of Buildings launched a dedicated web page listing storm-recovery tips, utility information, and other guidelines to make a structure inhabitable once again. In addition, Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed an emergency order waiving all DOB application and permit fees for repair work to buildings damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

Click here to visit the DOB website, and to read more about its sticker system in use to rate legal occupancy in a building, as based on a licensed architect's or engineer's certification.

The Fire Department also has posted important fire-safety information for property owners, including a revised Technology Management Bulletin that explains what equipment must be replaced following storm damage. To view the November 19, 2012 bulletin in PDF form, click here.

The city Department of Small Business Services also is assisting companies with financial recovery including tax exemptions, emergency loans and matching grants, disaster unemployment assistance. The agency also can help with temporary office space for dislocated companies, and is working with the state Department of Labor to assist with shared-work programs in lieu of employee layoffs.

A road- and pothole-repair submission form, volunteering suggestions, and permitting information are available at the city Department of Transportation website. The agency is coordinating infrastructure rebuilding work with utility companies Con Edison and Verizon, both of which are active in many areas of Lower Manhattan. Click here for permit information.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), city Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) also are working to ensure air quality in the wake of the storm. Officials recently added three more air-monitoring units in the New York City neighborhoods hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy.The monitors will measure fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) to provide data on the potential impact Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts have had on air quality. Read more here.

Last month, the mayor launched NYC Rapid Repairs, the first-of-its-kind program that sends teams of contractors and city inspectors to restore power, heat and hot water to homes impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Thousands of homeowners have enrolled in NYC Rapid Repairs, with teams quickly visiting homes to assist with reoccupancy. Homeowners whose property has sustained damage from Sandy can sign up for the NYC Rapid Repairs program by calling 311, visting www.NYC.gov, or visiting a Restoration Center.

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