December 26, 2012 ��� Health Commissioner Thomas A. Farley today urged all New Yorkers who are living without heat due to damage caused by Hurricane Sandy to get to a warm, safe place immediately, as a winter storm hits the area and more wintry weather is expected this weekend. People who cannot find warm places to stay on their own can visit a NYC Restoration Center or call 311 and the City will find them a warm place to stay. Additionally, the City, in partnership with the FDNY and the National Guard, has surveyed the damaged areas to determine who remains without power and heat and has been visiting residential buildings to distribute literature regarding the dangers of freezing temperatures, assisting residents in arranging a warm, private and safe place to stay and providing information about fire prevention.

���If you don���t have heat and you stay in your home, you are putting yourself and your family in serious danger,��� said Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley. ���People who stay in unheated homes in this kind of weather risk hypothermia and even death.���

Prolonged exposure to cold can also worsen asthma, heart disease and other serious conditions. Infants, the elderly and people with existing medical conditions are particularly vulnerable, but healthy people of all ages are at risk from prolonged exposure to the cold and need to find a warm place to stay.

Symptoms of hypothermia include uncontrollable shivering, weakness, sleepiness, confusion and lack of coordination. In infants, signs may include cold, bright red skin and very low energy.

Using stove tops, ovens, grills or faulty space heaters to stay warm can cause deadly carbon monoxide poisoning. Symptoms include sleepiness, dizziness, headaches, confusion and weakness.

Residents whose homes were damaged by Hurricane Sandy and are still without heat or power and cannot find warm places to stay on their own can visit a NYC Restoration Center or call 311 and we will find them a warm place to stay.

NYC Restoration Centers are located at the following addresses and are open Monday through Saturday (On Sunday or after hours call 311 for shelter):

Red Hook
Hours: 8 AM - 6 PM
Coffey Park
85 Richards Street
Brooklyn, 11231

Coney Island
Hours: 8 AM - 6 PM
MCU Park
1904 Surf Avenue
Brooklyn, 112224

Gravesend
Hours: 8 AM - 6 PM
SSA Building
10 Bouck Ct.
Brooklyn, 11223

Fort Tilden
Hours: 8 AM - 6 PM
415 State Road (across from St. Genevieve's Church) Queens, 11697

Far Rockaway
Hours: 8 AM - 8 PM
10-01 Beach 20th St.
Queens, 11691

Arverne
Hours: 8 AM - 8 PM
Shorefront B and C
68-20 Rockaway Beach Boulevard
Queens, 11692

Staten Island
Hours: 8 AM - 6 PM
1976 Hylan Boulevard

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