Anthony DelMundo for New York Daily News
A red inspection sticker was taped on the door of one of the businesses along Rockaway Beach Boulevard near Beach 116th St. in Rockaway, Queens, on Tuesday. The sticker means the building is unsafe to enter.
Anthony DelMundo for New York Daily News
Team Rubicon, a group of volunteers made up of military veterans and medical professionals, help to clean out some of the hurricane damage at West End Realty at 209 Beach 116th St., Queens, on Tuesday. A green inspection sticker indicates the building can be occupied.
Those red, yellow and green placards being plastered across damaged structures in storm-ravaged Rockaway and Broad Channel could determine whether you can indeed go home again.
City buildings inspectors are going block by block to examine private homes and multi-family dwellings and determine whether they are safe to occupy.
Green is the most desirable tag, meaning the home is structurally sound. Yellow means some work needs to be done and red means the house is unsafe to enter.
No major repairs or renovations can take place until the power comes back on. And both the Long Island Power Authority — which supplies electricity to the Rockaway peninsula — and Con Edison will not flip that switch until a home has been inspected by a licensed electrician.
The desperate search for electricians has opened the door to price gouging, while other contractors are donating their services to storm-weary residents.
“Everybody had different stories,” said Laurie Gelhaus, who lives with her husband and two children on Beach 88th St. “We were hearing prices of $750 or $1,000 for inspections.”
Instead, Gelhaus got a free inspection courtesy of the Long Island City-based Click and Improve Inc., a contracting service.
“It was a small token of goodwill,” said Anthony Marrero, chief of operations for the company, which worked with the Queens Mamas website to help families in Queens and Brooklyn. “These homeowners suffered enough.”
Marrero said the crew arrived in Rockaway on Saturday and was able to certify several homes. Unfortunately, many others needed extensive repairs.
Mary Grimaldi, who lives on Beach 90th St., is waiting until her electrician can make a trip to the house. He lost his house in Belle Harbor.
“Gouging is a big issue all over,” said Grimaldi. “I’m going to wait for someone I know.”
Building inspectors have not yet made it to Grimaldi’s or Gelhaus’s blocks in Rockaway Beach. Neither of their homes has been marked with a placard.
Buildings Department officials advised Rockaway residents to contact electricians right away. The Bloomberg Administration also unveiled a plan to get more contractors to hard-hit areas to help with repairs. But it’s unclear how long residents will wait for that help.
The free inspection was the first step in a long rebuilding process for the Gelhaus family home, which was flooded in the basement and first floor.
“As soon as we can get the lights back on and get boilers in, we can get heat and start working,” Laurie Gelhaus said. “I’ll feel safe and we will all feel better.”
