
Many homes in the Staten Island neighborhood of New Dorp Beach were shattered by Hurricane Sandy. But even in a New York City community as hard hit by the superstorm as this one, Rudy Mienert's house stops passersby dead in their tracks. Slabs of its clapboard exterior litter the ground, the front fence is mangled and a sedan languishes in the yard where storm waters left it.
But most striking is the home's disfigured facade. One section is missing, another is badly damaged. Mienert, a 54-year-old police sergeant at the 5th Precinct in Manhattan's Chinatown, said that a ship container caused the damage when Sandy's surging waters hurled it at the house.
"I expected the basement [to flood], 12 inches on the ground," he said. But the flood's depth turned out to be closer to 12 feet.
On Thursday, Mienert and a friend sloshed through muck in his front yard, in mud-spattered jeans, clearing debris. Mienert says that he's working as quickly as possible to make his home habitable again, but there's a problem: He doesn't know where the money is going to come from. "That's the big question," he said.
Mienert (pictured above in a plaid sweatshirt, with a friend, at his home) is one of many Hurricane Sandy victims who remain in the dark about how much relief money, if any, they stand to receive for their damaged homes. And like others in his neighborhood, Mienert is largely unaware of an array of other aid available to him -- besides compensation from the government or insurance companies.
Homeowners and relief workers in New Dorp Beach who spoke to AOL Real Estate on Thursday said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had not gotten back to many residents since they filed claims for assistance shortly after the storm.
Those homeowners covered by flood and homeowners insurance also said that they have yet to receive settlement offers from their insurance companies.
And many of the hard-hit residents of New Dorp said that they were unaware that they could take advantage of other forms of relief offered by the government, such as special loans, mortgage assistance and temporary housing.
'I Heard They Would Cut a Check Right Away'
Mienert initially expected prompt assistance from FEMA. "I heard that they would cut a check right away," he said.
In fact, FEMA does have the ability to act quickly. But people who have no insurance coverage for damage get relief the quickest. Often, they are storm victims without flood insurance.
If the homeowner has insurance, however, the process is more complicated. FEMA first needs to know how much insurance money a homeowner will receive before it determines how much aid -- if any -- it will grant.
So far, the homeowners that AOL Real Estate spoke to had not had their properties assessed by FEMA. But even if they had, possible relief would still have been out of reach because their insurers had not yet made settlement offers.
As of Thursday, there have been 145,000 requests for aid from New Yorkers, and FEMA has distributed nearly $200 million in response, said FEMA spokesman Bill Rukeyser.
But that doesn't mean much to some of the victims in New Dorp. As far as they're concerned, Uncle Sam is just giving them the cold shoulder.
And even if homeowners like Mienert do receive FEMA grants, the relief money most likely won't be enough to pay for full repairs to their homes. "It's not designed to replace wall-to-wall carpeting," Rukeyser said. "It's not designed to put them back to just the way they were before."
'Extremely Beneficial' Loans Still Out of Reach
A FEMA grant is not the only source of relief money. There is a government loan provided by the Small Business Administration that features "extremely beneficial conditions for a federal loan," and can either stand in for or supplement a FEMA grant, Rukeyser said.
The only problem is that homeowners cannot pursue an SBA loan until they find out whether or not they qualify for a FEMA grant.
"I heard about SBA," said Mienert, leaning on a rake in his front yard, which was covered in slush. "But I have to hear from FEMA first."
Either way, Mienert at least stands a chance of obtaining some relief from FEMA because his home in New Dorp is his primary residence. But for people with second homes impacted by disasters: government relief generally doesn't cover those.
That has dismayed some Sandy victims. Many of the communities that took the brunt of the storm were chock-full of vacation homes.
However, there is an exception for some owners of second homes in hard-hit areas. If someone uses a second home as a rental property -- and can prove it -- the person may be eligible for an SBA loan.
Temporary Housing: Not Just a Rumor
In addition to being hazy on any direct aid that they may be entitled to, storm-hit residents also are struggling to find temporary housing. Sal Conte, a retired military veteran, has been staying with his sister-in-law while he clears out his water-damaged bungalow and waits to hear from FEMA and his insurance providers.
Conte (pictured at his house below) could be eligible for a transitional housing program that was launched by FEMA last week, but he had only heard "a rumor" about such a program and had dismissed it.
Rukeyser said that to apply for the program, a homeowner must call FEMA at 1-800-621-FEMA or register online. He added that providing shelter for Sandy victims has been particularly difficult given the number of people affected by the storm in the New York area.

Mortgage Relief? 'I Need to Find Out About That!'
Some homeowners also appear to be ignorant of housing aid offered separately from FEMA or insurance companies.
Conte's eyes lit up when he heard that Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Administration are extending mortgage relief to people affected by Sandy.
"I need to find out about that!" he said.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have authorized banks that service their loans to grant forbearance, waive late fees and suspend foreclosure proceedings for up to a year. The FHA, meanwhile, has placed a moratorium on foreclosures and has encouraged banks that service its loans to offer borrowers forbearance.
Borrowers are advised to call their lenders or, if applicable, the government-backed entity that owns their mortgage to find out if they qualify for the relief.
The FHA also allows a borrower with an FHA-insured mortgage, whose home was destroyed in a disaster, to obtain a 100-percent financed mortgage (meaning no down payment and, in some cases, no closing costs). Known as a 203(h) loan, it can be used to rebuild a wrecked home or buy another one.
A last option for disaster victims is the FHA-insured 203(k) loan. That loan is often used to fund home renovations. But it can also come in handy for disaster-stricken borrowers. The mortgage's selling point is that it allows a borrower to avoid taking on more than one loan, which is often necessary to repair a home.
"People probably don't know that it exists," said Jeff Onofrio, director of renovation lending at AnnieMac in Mount Laurel, N.J. "It's not immediate. It's not going to answer all of the problems that have happened because of this devastation. But the FEMA thing is tough: The government can only put so much money aside."
For now, Mienert will keep his fingers crossed while he waits for answers. He plans on doing all the necessary cleanup on his home himself. But when it comes time to install new clapboard on his storm-ravaged facade, he'll need to hire some hands. And for now, he doesn't know if he'll have the cash to do it.
AOL staff writer Ross Urken contributed to this report.
See also:
Building a More Storm-Resistant Home
Home Insurance for Hurricanes and Floods
Stranded Hurricane Sandy Survivor Leaves Farewell Message in Evacuated Home
Follow us on Twitter at @AOLRealEstate or connect with AOL Real Estate on Facebook.
Source: http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2012/11/12/hurricane-sandy-housing-aid-storm-victims-staten-island/
breitbart dead db cooper fafsa branson missouri davy jones dead monkees last train to clarksville
Please check the URL for proper spelling and capitalization. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Yahoo!, try visiting the Yahoo! homepage or look through a list of Yahoo!'s online services.
Please try Yahoo Help Central if you need more assistance.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/canadian-press-headline-package-064047025--spt.html
donald driver donald driver robin thicke mariana trench transcendental meditation trayvon martin obama care
Would you hope you had a whiter laugh? Will you conceal powering your lip area in order to avoid having to present gray or yellowish teeth? In case you have always wanted to really like your grin a lot more, then read on this post for recommendations on how you can get the whiter laugh you?ve usually wished for.
Baking soda is a wonderful way to in a natural way whiten your tooth. There are several toothpastes that utilize cooking soft drinks due to its verified performance. If you want to make your very own preparing soda based teeth whitener just blend cooking soda with a bit of salt and h2o. It?s so easy, and it?s an inexpensive, but effective option to expensive preparations.
Should you be a gourmet coffee drinker, be sure to always brush your the teeth as soon as you finish your day glass. Gourmet coffee has harmful discoloration agencies that will Chris Johnson Jersey permanently yellow-colored your the teeth. By scrubbing after, you decrease the danger of these substances staining your tooth and it could be a key valuable tactic to keep your teeth white colored.
Switch to a tooth whitening tooth paste. Most whitening toothpastes do accomplish whatever they assure to perform. It can take the time although. Usually do not give up a whitening tooth paste just because it doesn?t offer you quick final results. Stick to it for several several weeks. The results will probably be slow but obvious.
Together with excellent dentistry health, use toothpaste and oral cavity rinse which contains whiteners. This may not supply instant outcomes or extremely apparent the teeth which are very bright white, but it may help continue to keep everyday staining out of your tooth. With constant use, it will also somewhat whiten your tooth after a while.
Brushing your teeth with apple inc cider white vinegar will help take the discolorations which have produced over time out. Just dip your remember to brush in the apple company cider white vinegar and remember to brush as normal. You can also combine it with your normal dental care personal hygiene regimen! It is actually an affordable and efficient way into a vibrant laugh.
For those who have gum sickness, a periodontal infection or unfilled oral cavaties, check with with your family physician or dental office before employing any whitening products. Specific chemical substances could make you chewing gum or teeth difficulty a whole lot worse. Have teeth or periodontal troubles fixed or treated prior to using any tooth Chris Johnson Jersey teeth whitening chemical substances or methods.
The application of pure rock and roll salt and drinking water with a teeth clean is definitely an effective way to whiten and brighten up your the teeth. This is a cost effective method of getting that white-colored bright grin that you may have wished for since your youngsters. Introducing this to the regular dental care program can be a fantastic focal point in your look.
There are some herbs that have the teeth-whitening properties. Included in this are: holy basil, margosa, banyon roots and babul. You are able to massage these natural herbs right on your entrance pearly whites to whiten them, or blend these with a paste of cooking soda and drinking water or mashed-up strawberries then apply to your the teeth.
Since you now hold the info and also the techniques to getting a whiter laugh, you?re only as miles away from using it as you make yourself. Begin these days applying these guidelines and you will probably have that bright white, comfortable, clear grin which makes other people wonder just how you did it.
Shop for good value Chris Johnson Jersey from authorized Chris Johnson Jersey Store right now with Easy-to-take Shipping, Risk-free Payment & Impressive Customer Care from us.
Autumn Pasquale ann coulter Iron Man 3 Trailer minecraft Pretty Little Liars Ben Wilson Latest Presidential Polls
{cptn}","template_name":"ss_thmb_play_ttle","i18n":{"end_of_gallery_header":"End of Gallery","end_of_gallery_next":"View Again"},"metadata":{"pagination":"{firstVisible} - {lastVisible} of {numItems}","ult":{"spaceid":"84962389","sec":""}}},{"id": "hcm-carousel-85371154", "dataManager": C.dmgr, "mediator": C.mdtr, "group_name":"hcm-carousel-85371154", "track_item_selected":1,"tracking":{ "spaceid" : "84962389", "events" : { "click" : { "any" : { "yui-carousel-prev" : { "node" : "a", "data" : {"sec":"HCMOL on article right rail","slk":"prev","itc":"1" }, "bubbles" : true, "test": function(params){ var carousel = params.obj.getCarousel(); var pages = carousel._pages; // if same page, don't beacon if(("_ult_current_page" in carousel) && carousel._ult_current_page==pages.cur) return false; // keep track of current position within this closure carousel._ult_current_page = pages.cur; return true; } }, "yui-carousel-next" : { "node" : "a", "data" : {"sec":"HCMOL on article right rail","slk":"next","itc":"1" }, "bubbles" : true, "test": function(params){ var carousel = params.obj.getCarousel(); var pages = carousel._pages; // no more pages, don't beacon again // if same page, don't beacon if(("_ult_current_page" in carousel) && carousel._ult_current_page==pages.cur) return false; // keep track of current position within this closure carousel._ult_current_page = pages.cur; return true; } } } } } } })); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {(function() { try{ if (Math.floor(Math.random()*10) == 1) { var loc = window.location, decoded = decodeURI(loc.pathname), encoded = encodeURI(decoded), uri = loc.protocol + "//" + loc.host + encoded + ((loc.search.length > 0) ? loc.search + '&' : '?') + "_cacheable=1", xmlhttp; if (window.XMLHttpRequest) xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest(); else xmlhttp = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP"); xmlhttp.open("GET",uri,true); xmlhttp.send(); } }catch(e){} })(); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {Y.namespace("Media").ywaSettings = '"projectId": "10001256862979", "documentName": "", "documentGroup": "", "ywaColo" : "vscale3", "spaceId" : "84962389" ,"customFields" : { "12" : "classic", "13" : "story" }'; Y.Media.YWA.init(Y.namespace("Media").ywaSettings); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {if(document.onclick===YAHOO.Media.PreventDefaultHandler.newClick){document.onclick=YAHOO.Media.PreventDefaultHandler.oldClick;} }); }); });
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wingers-injure-2-police-officers-poland-171027232.html
rick perry travis barker get back on board rob lowe peyton manning what is sopa marianne gingrich ibooks author
The Humane Center is drowning with cats/kittens. ALL Cats/Kittens are ($35.00) that includes, spay/.neuter, microchipping, vaccinations, wormer & Rabies. Please find it in your heart to bring home some of these precious pets.
CHARACTERISTICS:
Breed: Domestic Long Hair
Size: Medium
Petfinder ID: 24525031
CONTACT:
P.A.W.S. of Dearborn County Humane Center | Lawrenceburg, IN | 812-577-0829
For additional information, reply to this ad or see: http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=24525031
Brought to you by Petfinder.com
carol burnett neil degrasse tyson neil degrasse tyson davy jones death born this way foundation lytro camera lytro camera

If you have an old mechanical cooking timer somewhere in your kitchen, you have almost everything you need to build a camera mount that can take long, panning video shots like the ones in the video above. A trip to the hardware store (and a camera, of course) will get you the rest.
Instructables user mikeasaurus, whose work you've seen here before spent about $5 at the hardware store, broke out his drill at home, and attached a screw-in mount for the bottom of his camera onto the top of the timer wheel. He even attached the whole thing to his tripod so he could stablize the camera and get great video while the camera was panning.
The best part about this project is that it really didn't take much work, and as mikeasaurus notes in his description, there are plenty of ways to accomplish the same thing?he even links to some of them, and suggests combining the technique with time lapse to get some really great, cinematic-looking video. Keep in mind though that a kitchen timer isn't about to support much weight, which is why he used a regular point-and-shoot to get the video here. Still, I'm betting you guys have some ideas on how to improve the design.
wind up camera pan | Instructablts
Incumbent politico fox news new york times house of representatives Tammy Baldwin Election 2012 map
This is a syndicated repost. Read the original at european crisis - Google News.
Post your thoughts below. No registration necessary.record store day 2012 detroit red wings jose canseco zimmerman derek fisher lyrid meteor shower hippocrates
The Philadelphia Eagles have a very tough task ahead on Oct. 28. Eagles fans like myself are already worrying about a potential free fall, and facing the 6-0 Atlanta Falcons doesn't stand to make it any better. However, although Philadelphia has struggled a lot this year, it tends to do better against elite competition.
The Eagles have played down to their opponents for much of the season, as they struggle to beat teams they should win over more easily. But when they have taken on tougher competition, like the Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants, they have actually risen to the occasion.
The Ravens and Giants have been the Eagles' two best opponents this year, and they've beaten them both - regardless of the tight, sloppy circumstances. But while Philadelphia has done pretty well in facing these Super Bowl contenders, taking on less scary opponents has been a tougher task.
The Eagles have struggled to beat the now 1-6 Cleveland Browns, lost to the now 2-4 Detroit Lions and were slaughtered by the now slumping Arizona Cardinals. And while they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers at the last second on Oct. 7, the Steelers haven't been at their usual elite level yet. So technically, that was another blown chance against a less than stellar adversary.
When the Eagles take on teams equal to or inferior to them, things don't go very smoothly. However, they have overachieved in beating two superior teams already. Still, the Ravens were far more elite back on Sept. 16 than they are now, considering all their recent injuries, while the Giants have become elite again after losing in Philadelphia on Sept. 30.
But by this pattern, the Eagles should actually do pretty well when facing the Falcons, despite the recent slip-ups and Atlanta's unbeaten record. It doesn't make that much sense to do better with the elite than with far easier opponents - and it makes it more inexcusable that Philadelphia can't take care of business when it's supposed to.
Still, the Eagles can't afford to lay down against anyone, much less the best team in football at the moment. If it takes facing elite adversaries to fire Philadelphia up, that's something the Birds will just have to live with. It's provided some of the only highlights in this season, so the team will take what it can get. And in any case, they won't look alive for much longer if they can't continue this pattern.
Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident who has followed the Eagles since he was eight years old.
Other stories by this contributor
Eagles need to create as many takeaways as giveaways
Eagles stay where they are in Week 8 NFL power rankings
Eagles must know this isn't the ideal time for Foles to start
Eagles may have to look up at Giants for a while
Idle Eagles hope Giants don't pull further away
empire state building Todd Akin Hurricane prince harry hunger games Ronda Rousey Joey Kovar
WASHINGTON (AP) ? What gender gap?
Less than two weeks out from Election Day, Republican Mitt Romney has erased President Barack Obama's 16-point advantage among women, a new Associated Press-GfK poll shows. And the president, in turn, has largely eliminated Romney's edge among men.
Those churning gender dynamics leave the presidential race still a virtual dead heat, with Romney favored by 47 percent of likely voters and Obama by 45 percent, a result within the poll's margin of sampling error, the survey shows.
After a commanding first debate performance and a generally good month, Romney has gained ground with Americans on a number of important fronts, including their confidence in how he would handle the economy and their impressions of his ability to understand their problems.
At the same time, expectations that Obama will be re-elected have slipped: Half of voters now expect the president to win a second term, down from 55 percent a month earlier.
For all of the good news for Republicans, however, what matters most in the election endgame is Romney's standing in the handful of states whose electoral votes still are up for grabs. And polls in a number of those battleground states still appear to favor Obama.
As the election nears, Romney has been playing down social issues and trying to project a more moderate stance on matters such as abortion in an effort to court female voters. The AP-GfK poll, taken Friday through Tuesday, shows Romney pulling even with Obama among women at 47-47 after lagging by 16 points a month earlier.
But now his campaign is grappling with the fallout from a comment by a Romney-endorsed Senate candidate in Indiana, who said that when a woman becomes pregnant during a rape "that's something God intended."
Romney quickly distanced himself from the remark by Republican Richard Mourdock. But Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the incident was "a reminder that a Republican Congress working with a Republican President Mitt Romney would feel that women should not be able to make choices about their own health care."
A renewed focus on social issues would be an unwelcome development for Romney: Among female likely voters, 55 percent say Obama would make the right decisions on women's issues, compared with 41 percent who think Romney would.
Romney's pitch to women has been focused squarely on the economy, making the case that what women want most is to ensure their families and their country are on a solid financial footing. The poll shows that message appears to be taking root.
A month ago, women favored Obama over Romney on the economy 56 percent to 40 percent. Now, the split has shifted to 49 percent for Romney and 45 percent for Obama.
Similarly, Obama's lead among women as the candidate who better understands the people's problems has narrowed considerably, from a 58-36 Obama advantage last month to a 50-43 Obama edge now.
Monica Jensen, a 55-year-old independent from Mobile, Ala., says she voted for Obama in 2008 but will shift her vote to Romney this time, largely because of the economy.
"I'm ready for a change," she said. "I want to see the economy go in a different direction."
Ginny Lewis, a Democrat and 72-year-old retired district attorney from Princeton, Ky., says she'll vote for Romney because "I'm tired of the Republicans blaming all the debt on Democrats, so let them take over and see what they do."
Not that she's optimistic about how that will turn out, though. "I think things will get worse before they get better," she said.
Lindsey Hornbaker, a 25-year-old graduate student and nanny, hasn't been swayed by Romney's charm offensive.
Hornbaker, interviewed Wednesday in Davenport, Iowa, where she was attending an Obama rally, said Romney can tweak his tone but not what she sees as a record focused far more on top income earners and out of touch with most working families.
"I heard him go out of his way to sound so moderate during the debate," she said. "And I thought: 'Who is this? Where did this come from?' He may sound like he's focused on the middle class. But where's the record?"
Obama, meanwhile, has been working to shore up his support among men, who tend to be more Republican than women. In the 2008 election, men broke 49 percent for Obama to 48 percent for John McCain, even though Obama got 53 percent of the vote overall. The president's job approval ratings among men have tended to fall below his ratings among women throughout his first term.
A month ago, Romney's advantage among men was 13 percentage points. Now, it's down to 5 points, with most of the shift toward Obama coming among unmarried men.
Obama's election chances hinge on turning out voters like Jon Gerton, a disabled construction worker from Jonesboro, Ark. Gerton's a staunch Obama supporter ? but he didn't vote in 2008.
"It takes longer than four years to get things to the point where things are going better," Gerton said. "Four years, it's not very long."
There has been a gender gap in every presidential election since 1980. In 2008, women were 7 percentage points more likely than men to vote for Obama.
Overall, people are significantly more optimistic about the economy and unemployment in the coming year than they have been at any point in AP-GfK polling going back to March 2011, when the poll first started asking those questions. And likely voters are even more optimistic than other adults.
Nearly six in 10 likely voters think the economy will improve in the next year, up from 46 percent last month. And 42 percent think the number of unemployed Americans will drop in the next year, up from 32 percent in September.
Count Chrysta Walker, of Cedar Lake, Ind., among the voters who are sticking with Obama because they think he's got the right solutions for the fragile economy.
"He's got the middle class at heart," says the 58-year-old Walker. On the economy, she says, Obama "did as well as could be expected because he didn't get a lot of cooperation."
David Bierwirth, who owns an autograph sales business in Las Vegas, turned out at a Romney rally in Henderson this week to show his support for the GOP nominee. To Bierwirth, his vote for Romney is all about the economy.
"I want people back to work," he says, "because then they will buy my products."
The Associated Press-GfK poll was conducted Oct. 19-23 by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Corporate Communications. It involved landline and cellphone interviews with 1,186 adults nationwide, including 839 likely voters. Results for the full sample have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points; for likely voters it is 4.2 points.
__
Online:
___
AP News Survey Specialist Dennis Junius and Stacy A. Anderson in Washington, Thomas Beaumont in Davenport, Iowa, and Ken Ritter in Henderson, Nev., contributed to this report.
___
Follow Nancy Benac on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/nbenac
Follow Jennifer Agiesta on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JennAgiesta
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-poll-romney-erases-obama-advantage-among-women-071129692--election.html
spice girls justin theroux Bumbo recall USA Basketball taio cruz taio cruz Winter Olympics 2014