Resources and assistance for Sandy survival

COMFORT STATIONS

NASSAU COUNTY

* The American Red Cross has food distribution centers open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Cedar Creek Park in Seaford, Grant Park in Hewlett and Nickerson Beach Park in Lido Beach.

* Nassau County is offering free hot shower facilities at Cantiague Park in Hicksville, the Nassau County Aquatic Center in Eisenhower Park and the Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale. They will be open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily until further notice.

* Nassau County has opened several warming centers. Check ahead to make sure a center has power. They are at the Bellmore Library, East Meadow American Legion Hall, Franklin Square Senior Center, Freeport Memorial Library, Freeport Salvation Army Center, Great Neck Senior Center, Hempstead Senior Center, Herricks Senior Center, Inwood Senior Center, Our Lady of Lourdes School and the Senior Center in Massapequa Park, Merrick Library, Merrick Golf Course clubhouse, North Merrick Senior Center, Oyster Bay Senior Center, Port Washington Senior Center, Rockville Centre American Legion and Hispanic Brotherhood Senior Center, North Shore Synagogue in Syosset, Uniondale/Hempstead Senior Center, Uniondale/Merrick Senior Center, Wantagh Senior Center, Temple B’nai Torah in Wantagh, Echo Park Pool in West Hempstead, and Westbury Senior Center.

* The LIRR has turned its Long Beach Station waiting room into a comfort station. In addition to heat, water and restrooms, the room is equipped with power strips for use in charging cellphones and other electronic devices. Open daily from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.

SUFFOLK COUNTY

* The American Red Cross meal distribution center at the Mastic Beach Nutrition Center is open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The other centers have closed.

* The Town of Riverhead has a warming station at its senior center in Aquebogue.

* Southampton Town has centers in Bridgehampton, Hampton Bays and Flanders.

* Town of Babylon warming centers are open at the Farmingdale Knights of Columbus, Babylon Town Hall in Lindenhurst, Babylon Town Annex in North Babylon, Lindenhurst Public Library, Copiague Library, St. Joseph's Parish in Babylon and West Babylon Public Library.

DONATIONS

* The New York Islanders are holding an online auction to benefit those affected by Hurricane Sandy. Local sports teams, organizations and individuals provided items, including suites for events at Nassau Coliseum and Barclays Center, autographed memorabilia and one-of-a-kind experiences like meeting country music star Carrie Underwood. To view the auction and bid, visit newyorkislanders.com/sandy.

* Long Beach is no longer accepting donations of clothing, household items and other supplies, but financial donations can be made at longbeachny.org or sent to City of Long Beach Relief, 1 West Chester St., Long Beach, N.Y. 11561.

* Mid Island Collision is seeking hundreds of volunteers for its annual Fill-the-Bag event to create 10,000 meals for the needy in a 26-hour period. The event starts at noon on Nov. 20 and goes until 2 p.m. on Nov. 21 at the company’s office in Rockville Centre. For more information or to volunteer, email volunteerheremic@gmail.com

* Vision Long Island is seeking donations and volunteers for cleanup crews in heavily damaged communities such as Long Beach, Mastic Beach, Lindenhurst, Freeport and Island Park. Needed donations include industrial bags, rakes, shovels, gloves, masks and heavy boots. For more information, email info@visionlongisland.org or call 631-804-9128.

* Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island is seeking monetary donations to help restore its Islandia building that partially collapsed during Sandy. To make a $5 donation, text BIG to 80100 or contact the organization at 516-731-7880.

* The Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council and other associations have established the Hurricane Sandy Health Care Employee Relief Fund to help employees of hospitals and other health care organizations. To donate or for more information, visit the website.

* Nassau County is accepting donations at the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building in Mineola; Eisenhower Park in East Meadow and Wantagh Park and the county's Office of Emergency Management in Bethpage.

* Island Harvest in Mineola is accepting donations by texting the words HUNGER RELIEF to 266266 to help victims of the super storm.

* For information about area restaurants accepting or making donations, go to the Feed Me blog at newsday.com/feedme.

* For information about benefit events, shows and concerts, go to newsday.com/events.

* The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre is accepting donations at any parish. The diocese also is accepting money donations, which will be distributed to parish-based and other Catholic social service agencies.

* Adelphi University in Garden City is accepting clothing, toiletries and food for shelters in need in the New York City and Long Island areas.

* Long Island Cares is asking for donations of cleaning supplies. For more information, call 631-582-FOOD or contact the agency via Facebook at facebook.com/licares.

* Long Island Food Not Bombs seeks volunteers and donations of food, clothing, gasoline and communications devices. For more information, email longislandfoodnotbombs@gmail.com.

* B'nai B'rith International opened a disaster relief fund for Sandy. To donate or for more information go to bbi.convio.net.

* The Town of Hempstead has collection bins at Town Hall in Hempstead Village, Echo Park in West Hempstead and Levittown Hall.

FEMA RECOVERY CENTERS

NASSAU COUNTY

Cedar Creek Park, Seaford

Long Beach Recreation Center and Ice Arena

Island Park Village Hall

Nassau County Community College, Garden City

New Cassel Community Center Garden, Westbury

SUFFOLK COUNTY

Huntington Town Hall Monday only

H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge

Islip Emergency Operations Center in Islip

Mastic Recreation Center

Lindenhurst Library

Suffolk County Center in Riverhead

The agency has activated its transitional shelter program, which allows those who cannot return to their homes because of storm damage to stay in participating hotels, motels or other housing. Applicants must first register with FEMA, either at a recovery center, by calling 800-621-3362 or by going to DisasterAssistance.gov.

SHELTERS

NASSAU COUNTY
The Red Cross shelter is open in Building P of Nassau Community College in Garden City.

SUFFOLK COUNTY
Shelters have closed. Those needing emergency housing can seek assistance and placement at any Disaster Recovery Center or by calling 877-733-2767.

MOLD REMOVAL

Residents who have moved back into homes that have been flooded will need to rid their homes of mold. Items that stayed wet for two days will have mold growing on them, even if it can’t be seen.

* Health officials advise throwing out items made of cloth, unless they can be washed in hot water.

* Use bleach to clean mold off hard surfaces such as floors, stoves, sinks, toys, counter tops, plates and tools.

* Never mix bleach with ammonia or other cleaners.

* Wear rubber boots, rubber gloves, goggles, and mask.

* Open windows and doors to get fresh air.

* Mix no more than one cup of bleach in one gallon of water to wash items.

* If the surface of the item is rough, scrub the surface with a stiff brush.

* Rinse the item with clean water.

* Dry the item or leave it out to dry.

HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE

Suffolk County residents can drop off potentially hazardous household products from flood-damaged homes, including solvents, paints, cleaners, oil, propane tanks, batteries, weed or bug killers, car batteries and bleach, starting Nov. 12 at Venetian Shores Park in Lindenhurst, Islip Multipurpose Recycling Facility in Holbrook, Wastewater Treatment Plant in Patchogue and at Highway Barn in Patchogue.

The Town of Oyster Bay and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has set up a household hazardous waste collection site. Residents can take items to the Town’s Solid Waste Disposal Complex on Bethpage-Sweet Hollow Road in Old Bethpage, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, until Nov. 30.

CURFEWS

Suffolk County police are enforcing a curfew, prohibiting motorists and pedestrians south of Montauk Highway in Babylon Village, Lindenhurst and Copiague from dusk until dawn. Montauk Highway will remain open to traffic. Curfew violators may be arrested.

The curfew in Long Beach remains in effect, but now stretches from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

SCAM WARNINGS

Suffolk County police remind residents that most utility work is done outside with no need for crews to enter homes. If someone asks to enter a home, claiming to work for a utility company, ask for photo identification and look for a company logo on vehicles. If still suspicious, call 911 for police assistance.

Scambook, an online complaint resolution site, offers these tips for making donations:

* Contact the state attorney general's office or the National Association of State Charity Officials (NASCO) to make sure a charity is officially registered. Websites such as guidestar.org and charitynavigator.org also can help determine legitimacy.

* Do not send personal or financial information, or wire money, in response to an unsolicited email call for donations.

* Don't give in to pressure. A legitimate charity will not pressure or rush you to donate immediately. It's OK to say "no."

* Never provide any personal information, such as social security number or banking information, over the phone.

* Fake charities commonly use logos or names similar to more widely known and established charity organizations. If anyone claims to be associated with a more well-known charity, call the official organization for confirmation.

TRANSPORTATION

The Long Island Rail Road is operating with near-normal service on all but the Long Beach branch. Train shuttles are operating between Long Beach and Lynbrook on weekdays, supplemented by bus service.

ELECTRICITY AND GAS

Electricity outages should be reported to 800-490-0075, online at liaccount.com/outage or by texting OUT to 695472.

Visual surveys to assess homes that may need electrical inspections continue in Nassau County, and some may lead to requests for a formal electrical inspection. Once inspections have been completed, LIPA requests a letter from a licensed electrician or electrical inspection certificate be faxed to 631-844-3643 or emailed to servicecert@service.lipower.org

Gas leaks should be reported to National Grid at 800-490-0045.

KEY PHONE NUMBERS

LIPA: 800-490-0075 or 631-755-6900
NATIONAL GRID: 800-490-0045 for gas leaks and 800-930-5003 for service
STATE CONSUMER AFFAIRS PRICE GOUGING HOTLINE: 888-684-4274
FEMA DISASTER ASSISTANCE HOTLINE: 800-621-3362
STATE INSURANCE HOTLINE: 800-339-1759

For information about temporary storm related relief and clean up jobs registration is available on the State Department of Labor website -- labor.ny.gov

OTHER ASSISTANCE

* Suffolk County is hiring temporary workers to assist in restoration. Workers who temporarily or permanently lost employment because of the storm, are unemployed, or displaced may be eligible for work including debris removal, roadway clearning, and building or grounds cleanup. The work would be for 35 hours per week, with pay of $14.89 per hour and may last as long as 12 weeks. For more information, call 631-853-6600 or go to the employment center in Hauppauge with two forms of identification.

* The Suffolk County Water Authority is suggesting its customers who expect to have their power and heat off for an extended period have their water turned off temporarily to prevent pipes from freezing. All water restoration fees will be waived for SCWA customers who call by Dec. 1. Residents should call the authority’s customer service office at 631-698-9500.

* The Phobia and Trauma Clinic at Hofstra University is offering free counseling and therapeutic services for Long Islanders who have suffered loss and hardship as a result of Sandy. For more information, call 516-463-5660.

*Long Beach City Hall is open for essential city business such as licensing and bill payment from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.

* Nassau County residents who lost documents in the storm should call the county clerk’s office for information about getting replacement documents. Residents should call 516-571-6377 for more information and to request a certified copy of a deed or mortgage documents.

*The state Department of Financial Services has set up a storm response center at the Merrick Jewish Centre at 225 Fox Blvd. in Merrick. The center, open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily until further notice, will provide assistance fwith storm-related insurance issues.

* Immunizations are being provided in hard-hit areas to residents and first responders using CHS’s existing Healthy Sundays network of free services, which is staffed by CHS professionals who volunteer their time and expertise, in partnership with local parishes and community centers:

* Suffolk County Health Services personnel are dispensing influenza and tetanus vaccines for adults at its five Disaster Recovery Centers in Suffolk County. Health officials recommend vaccinations for residents who have been exposed to flood waters and debris and who have not received a tetanus vaccine in the past 10 years.

* New York State has extended time for Department of Motor Vehicle renewals, tax filings and payments, and bond payments for residents and businesses in Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties and in New York City

* The state also will replace food stamps lost in the storm in areas hardest hit. Current recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, will be automatically issued 50 percent of their benefits starting this week, Cuomo's office announced.