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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > Periscope > Anger towards Obama, Cuomo, Bloomberg in Irish Rockaways - President’s visit may trigger a hostile reception for governor, mayor too

Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Anger towards Obama, Cuomo, Bloomberg in Irish Rockaways - President’s visit may trigger a hostile reception for governor, mayor too

Posted on Sunday, November 11, 2012 at 07:38 AM

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We have the technology to invent a vehicle that doesn't run on natural fuels. Americans can't do this because the oil corporations are too powerful and fight any and all attempts to do so. Maybe a European can do. The Arabs own the American economy; somebody save us from them and the oil bloody hands Republicans!

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gagejb | Nov 14, 2012, 04:44 PM EST

Re: the American Red Cross; lets just say I hope they are helping another neighborhood in greater need because their response in Rockaway has been underwhelming in light of the dollar amounts we hear donated to them.

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gagejb | Nov 14, 2012, 04:35 PM EST

I am 4th through 7th generation Irish American living in Breezy Point, NY. I am not a avid supporter of Obama but it is a wide consensus of my neighbors, many like myself who have been displaced, that the cleanup effort is going remarkably well: the military has been spectacular, the civilian volunteers heartwarming, the amount of relief supplies overflowing, there is enough food for everyone to gorge themselves if they were not busy working. FEMA is surprisingly efficient even if the answers are not always what we want to hear, wireless trucks have rolled into town, sanitation works around the clock and creatively setup a temporary landfill in the immense Riis Park parking lot. I'll grant you that the utility companies are overwhelmed with their mission and we do need some sort of intervention as re-establishment of utilities is the quickest way to get people back in their homes and cut down on expense. From what I witnessed, the residents are working hard in good spirit to rebuild, it is an insult to our ancestry who suffered real hunger and tragic displacement to suggest that their progeny turned out to be a bunch of whiners in the face of the minor disaster of temporarily losing our homes. We have nor been forgotten, the clean up effort has been both largely self-directed and amazing to date.

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Oliver12 | Nov 13, 2012, 06:40 PM EST

Our thoughts and prayers are with those still suffering four weeks after Sandy. The first responders to disasters are local and state officials involved with their respective Emergency Management Offices. As with the bumbling mayor in New Orleans and the useless Louisiana Governor during Katrina, Bloomberg and Cuomo apparently fell flat on their faces. President Bush, not local officials, was blamed by most in the media for the lack of response in the aftermath of Katrina. To be fair and balanced, why hasn't the media blamed Obama for the lack of response in the aftermath of Sandy?

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peterson | Nov 13, 2012, 01:52 PM EST

The American Red Cross claims that "they" are are pleased with what they have accomplished with their response as well.

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BrianO | Nov 12, 2012, 11:37 AM EST

In the famous words of Bart Simpson " I didn't do it it wasn't me nowbody saw me I don't know what your talking about man.

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Opoets99 | Nov 12, 2012, 11:29 AM EST

You voted Oblamer in to office. Now deal with it.

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seagreen | Nov 12, 2012, 07:51 AM EST

The tone of the article is very suspect.. IRISH, not Irish/American. not American. A tragedy ? yes it certainly is. The displacement and suffering of those whose homes were destroyed, and what their families have had to endure is immeasurable , and they deserve all possible help. I am not getting the Obama thing ? This guy opened the valve to help victims of this tragedy. He put bureaucrats on notice, and removed some that did nothing. Trailers are being moved into areas. Power trucks from Texas and Quebec, Canada are restoring power in New Jersey. There is no limit on the money being allocated. The apparent problem is State and local officials who are either incompetent outside of their political realm and still in charge, as opposed to people in the field that know what is happening. It was a photo op ! bullshit it was ! Am I crazy about Obama, I don't think so. (he is still wiping out sheep herders,,and innocents to appease the militant crowd with his drones) We have killed 15 #2 Al Quaeda operatives in areas a vehicle cannot access. That is that, but targeting him for what is happening in N.Y. is highly suspect and smacks of political and other reasoning.. The people of Breezy point have good jobs, pension plans, insurance . They will eventually restore normalcy in their lives, unlike the people in the 9th ward in New Orleans whose extence has been shattered forever.

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The Commentator | Nov 11, 2012, 11:16 PM EST

One would think that after the terrible mess with Katrina, the federal & state governments would do a better job. I would suggest that before one of these predicted major storms, that emergency resources should be prepared and ready to go at a moments notice. The delays after the disaster strikes are not acceptable. The housing that FEMA is now sending should have started moving when the need was recognized. Although the specific people who need the housing may not be identified, the housing and other resources should be positioned in predetermined staging areas so there would be no delays in people receiving aid. How difficult is it for water, food, lighting etc to be available for victims? A stockpile of necessities could be available in each state for emergencies. Any items with s shelf life could be replaced as required and the items donated to food banks and charitable organizations. A win win situation. Because there is damage to utilities that take time to be reinstated because of limited human resources with the necessary skills the emergency organizations need to address the lack of power by providing shelter and/or alternative power etc. Perhaps these organizations should be held financially and criminally responsible for shortcoming that result in damage, injury, and death that occur because of mismanagement.

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DaveKelly59 | Nov 11, 2012, 08:36 PM EST

To blame the President, for the response to this disaster in New York or that he will do nothing to help these people out , because he has already been elected is totally moronic thinking and diatribe. Response is to be handled by state and local officials, assuming those entities are still intact after a disaster, which obviously they are considering the hot -air emanating from political class looking to shirk their culpabilities of failures and accountability . They blame the President because he does not have to run for election in New York, and the people of New York have accountability themselves. Difficult soul searching needs to occur amongst the populace , because this may very well be the " wave " of the future so to speak. As for getting the electric and utilities back on line after such a disaster, is a most difficult task, throwing a few breakers and replacing a few light bulbs is not going to " fix " this problem. As for the duration of difficulties, being days or weeks, try more like months, yes , months. So some folks are going to have to suck-it up for a while, paradise lost! Just for a little while, but life will return to normal. Main thing is to make sure for now, is to see that the people have food, shelter and adequate cleaning and sanitation facilities or resources available. Forget about 5 star accommodations for a while, unless you can afford to get away for a bit.Save your tempers for the insurance companies, you will no doubt need it. The GOP as well as others have allowed the insurance industry to right regulations and laws for quite some time now, so be prepared for a screwing Mr. and Ms. J. Q. Public, you have allowed your Reps to set you up for this, Enjoy.

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liam44 | Nov 11, 2012, 07:10 PM EST

When I was young and stupid,I bought my first summer home on a barrier beach in Massachusetts, much as the homeowners in this story did...but their homes were or are occupied year round these days. In 1978, a terrible storm hit the East Coast, and it destroyed or badly damaged most of the homes on the barrier beach where my summer home was located. My home was 1600 feet from the beach,but,still I found damage to the floors and sand from the beach throughout the 1stfloor of this home... The Federal Govt. arrived after two weeks and began giving out large checks to homeowners without even looking at their homes for damage...I sold that home, which was destroyed by a later storm in the 1980's...YOU CANNOT build on a barrier beach...your home will get destroyed,re-build and it will be destroyed again and again..heaping sand on the beaches does no good..it is a barrier beach,intended to buttress the inland area...intended by nature....rebuilding is asking tax payers to pay for your senselessness..it is foolish, and these homes should be torn down and the areas declared uninhabitable.

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EphraimKibbey | Nov 11, 2012, 06:23 PM EST

mryan114 - I think you may have the answer but for the army to help they must be requested by the local leaders. The only way that the President could bring them in without being asked by the mayor or the Governer would be to declare Marshal Law. He did authorize military cargo planes to bring in electric crews and trucks from California. When Hoboken, NJ was unexpectedly flooded, the Mayor of that city asked for National Guard trucks with High Water and Narrow Street capability and they were there the next day rescuing folks. On the News they show Long Islanders pleading for power in one shot then show LIPA saying that they have power restored to 90% of their customers in the next. The news also reported places where people were actually throwing things at electric crews. Somehow I do not think that would speed the crews to help them. I hope the heat and light will be back on for all of those hit very soon. Sadly, it will be months or years for those whose homes were actually distroyed by Sandy.

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stanchaz | Nov 11, 2012, 03:30 PM EST

Bloomberg has also tried to "run" this City like a business instead of the community of communities that we are. All he knows about is money money money, instead of people people people. This hurricane will scar Bloomberg's reputation and political aspirations -- in the same way that great snowstorm in Queens did for Mayor John Lindsay a few decades ago.

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mryan114 | Nov 11, 2012, 02:13 PM EST

12 days into this in one of the largest cities in the country & still no electric & relocation plans for the people affected. Heads will roll & rightly so. Lost business must be in the millions at this stage for the residents all along Crossbay Blvd Cuomo & Bloomberg are passing the buck or rambling on about climate change & future repairs while Chris Christie is out there getting results. We have the largest navy & army probably in the world, who can get fuel to Kabul & set up power lines in days for a country that attacks & assonates the army on the ground; & yet 2 weeks later in NY the second class citizens of Breezy Point & Staten Island are still crying out for help & are marooned on Islands with food shortages, bad weather conditions & no housing. Are we now living in a Third World Country?

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pilib04 | Nov 11, 2012, 02:00 PM EST

Stop making this a racial issue, Irish Central. It isn't!

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