ISLAND PARK, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is ordering local governments to clean up massive debris piles caused by Superstorm Sandy before a second storm hits.
Cuomo issued an executive order declaring the debris a health hazard and instructing officials in New York City, Long Island and northern suburbs to clean it up. A winter storm is expected to start hitting the area Wednesday.
On Tuesday, construction equipment continued to scoop up trash from the streets of a coastal village on Long Island. In Island Park on Tuesday, soggy furniture, mattresses and other household objects were being lifted off the street and dumped into tractor-trailer sized garbage trucks.
The streets there are still lined with the entire contents of residents’ homes. Some of the piles are taller than people.
