Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
$12K For Medical Examiner Refrigeration Trailers: A Look At NYC's Post-Sandy Spending
By
Garth Johnston
Published Nov 1, 2012
Modified Nov 1, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Garth Johnston
Published Nov 1, 2012
Modified Nov 1, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
No shock really but Hurricane Sandy is turning into a very, very expensive storm. And not just in lost economic activity (it is estimated we're losing about $200 million a day in that) but also just in paying for the immediate clean up. According to Comptroller John Liu, the cost of emergency contracts as of 10:30 a.m. this morning was $29.9 million. Hey, refrigeration trailers for the Chief Medical Examiner aren't going to pay for themselves!
So what is the specific breakdown of those emergency costs? Here's what the Comptroller's office tells us has been approved so far:
- DDC - $12 Million for heavy equipment and construction related services
- DOB - $750,000 for structural engineers
- OEM - $3.2 Million for a host of goods - oxygen, ambulances, ambulettes, buses, MREs, livery cars, sandbags, vacuum trucks
- DCAS - $2 million in heavy equipment and vehicles
- DEP - $5 million for pumping equipment
- Sanitation - $7 million for heavy equipment
- DoITT - $30,000 for laptops to use at City Hall
- Chief Medical Examiner - $12,150 for refrigeration trailers
How does this compare to Hurricane Irene? Well, at this point the estimates on emergency contracts for that storm were "around $10—12 million. We expect the current number to grow in the coming days." In the meantime, Liu is estimating that economic activity in the city is about "20 percent of usual. It's a huge drop. And it's probably not going to get back to 100 percent for some time."
And the actual cost of Sandy is just starting to become clear. According to EQECAT, a catastrophic risk consultant to insurers, Sandy "may have caused $10 billion to $20 billion in total economic damage, with $5 billion to $10 billion in insured losses. Between 30 percent and 40 percent of those costs are in New York City."
Tagged
comptroller
costs
frankenstorm
hurricane sandy
john liu
Garth Johnston
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens man charged with hate crime at Jewish-owned bagel shop displaying Israeli flags
Prosecutors say the 22-year-old damaged property outside the Fresh Meadows shop twice in May.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 6:07 p.m. ET
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."
By
Stephen Nessen
News
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."
By
Stephen Nessen
High-ranking NYC officials to testify in ex-buildings boss Eric Ulrich's corruption trial
By
David Brand
Mamdani launches new team to help NYers keep SNAP, Medicaid benefits
By
Caroline Lewis
Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .