Daily News Article on FEMA School Cleanup Reimbursement

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document NYC-WTC_000151921 Acideg Tune H, LOOX Feds to feot $1L.7ivi bill for school WIC cleanup ‘By AUSON GENDAR and GREG GITTRICH DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS The Board of Education won't be stuck with a nearly $12 million bill to clean po- tentially hazardous World Trade Center dust from downtown schools, officials said yesterday. The Federal Emergency Management Agency told school officials yesterday that it would reimburse $11.7 million spent in cleanup and environmental test- ing since Sept. 11. The agency said it would eventually also cover $5 million spent to clean schools in buildings leased by the Board of Ed. Brad Gair, federal recovery officer for the World Trade Center disaster, told city and schoo! officials the news in an hour- long conference call yesterday. Gair told the Daily News in April that most of the cleanup costs would be cov-. ered, but the agency nas been blasted for appearing to drag its feet and being insen-.- sitive to city schoolchildren. The board is stil pushing for $103 mil- lion to make up for lost instruction time . since Sept. 11, an nse FEMA has said it is not authorized to cover, and $40 million for mental health services for stil traumatized students. in ; fe made real progress today in get- ting this decision from FEMA, but the re- maining costs to the system still need to be met for the sake of New York's school kids,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D- Manhattan), a FEMA critic. . _ The feds also announced that those liv ing near Ground Zero who are fearful of tentially asebestos-laden dust in their omes can call a toll-free number to or- derafree cleanup. |. -. ae The Environmental Protection Agency agreed last month to create the unprece: dented home-cleaning program after;# was beseiged by complaints from people living near Ground Zero who were scared to breathe the air in their homes. The feds will pay to clean the apart- ments of tenants and homeowners south of Canal St., where most of the potential- ly dangerous dust from the twin towers collapse settled. | The cleanin, g can be requested by call ing (877) 796-5471 or going to ww.epa Ove The hotline will be staffed to take clean- ing and testing requests 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. Money for vacuums “ Y _ People who want to handle the clean- ing themselves can get as much as $300 -- from FEMA to buy a high-powered vacu- um with special HEPA filters. . Professional cleaning costs about $1.50 per square foot, and the tab can quadru- ple if asbestos is detected. Those who register for the fed-man- aged cleanup can track their requests and learn the results of testing and clean- up on the Web or through the hotline. The cleaning is expected to begin in Ju- Critics of the program insist cleanu| should be mandatory and entire build- ings — not -individual apartments — should be scrubbed. a3 + nace sen. s «© waco)