(Google Street View)

The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy is ready for its close-up.

Google has updated Street View to show the damage done to the streets in Staten Island, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.

"Our hope was to capture accurate, updated imagery that would help people around the world better understand the extent of the damage and the importance of coming together as a community to aid in the recovery efforts," William Floyd, Google's public affairs manager for New York, told the Advance.

When the Google cars were initially spotted in January, residents were angered over the fact that the company was taking pictures of their ruined communities.

The New York Post interviewed residents who expressed their fury over the photos. Mark McIntyre, 49, whose first floor was flooded, told the Post, “If that’s the way it’s going to be in the computer for years, showing the depreciation of a neighborhood, that’s not right.”

Now, residents feel that the update is helpful in showing people outside of New York the extent of the damage. The pictures reveal how much water and wind damage occurred and what the communities are doing in their effort to rebuild.

Google told the Advance that it will drive around the damaged area again in the future to update its photos and chronicle the recovery efforts, but it does not have a time line for when this will take place.

The company has also partnered with historypin.com to archive the images it has taken—a record of the area before, during and in the aftermath of the storm.

via Flickr

New York City wasn’t the only thing that got screwed during Hurricane Sandy.

Evidently some New Yorkers who were lucky enough to hunker down with a sweetheart as Sandy ravaged the East Coast will be welcoming their “storm babies” to the world in a few short months.

“We were content with two children; three was not in the plan,” Meaghan B Murphy, deputy editor of Self magazine, told the New York Times. “But with no power, no TV, no lights, there was not much else to do. And my husband is so handsome, I couldn’t resist.”

A trip to the bodega for a box of condoms was out of the question, naturally. (Do they even work without electricity?!)

Officials at local hospitals are expecting a 10 to 30 percent increase in summer births thanks to what the Times has dubbed “Sandy Syndrome,” although there is little statistical evidence that ties a rise in birth rates to major storms or power outages.

Dr. Jacques Mortiz of St Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center said, “There’s definitely an uptick. This is just old basic physiology. There’s no Internet and no cable. What else is there to do?”

Apparently when the lights go out, horny New Yorkers bang headboards against walls harder than gale-force winds.

While some New Yorkers traded sex for gasoline in the days after the storm, and one Brooklyn woman chronicled a series of rapid-fire extra-marital escapades impeded by Sandy’s fallout, at least the couples responsible for the surge of storm babies kept it classy.

Needless to say, Sandy came and went with a bang.

The Jersey Shore's iconic JetStar Roller Coaster, destroyed after Superstorm Sandy (Getty)

A new thrill ride on the Jersey Shore will be named Super Storm, so that riders can remember how much fun it was when Sandy ravaged the coastline and destroyed their homes.

The spinning, pendulum-shaped ride, which is slated to be open sometime before the Fourth of July, will help replace some of the iconic attractions that were destroyed at the Jersey Shore’s Casino Pier. Five rides were totally lost, and others were damaged beyond repair when Superstorm Sandy hit last October, a spokesperson for Casino Pier told The Observer.

Sandy also resulted in the deaths of 135 people along the East Coast, and destroyed countless homes and buildings.

“I can understand people having mixed feelings about having a name like that,” said the spokesperson. Still, the amusement pier insists that the name should reflect the strength of the Jersey Shore, rather than memories of suffering.

“We thought [the name] would be a symbol of the resilience of the Jersey Shore—how strong the people of New Jersey are after they’ve gone through this,” the spokesperson said, “We think that showing that strength is a good way to move forward and work towards recovery.”

She also noted, “Due to the thrill ride aspect of it, and you know, how the ride runs and [the] ride experience, we were looking to pick a name that would go along with that … Storm names are popular in the ride industry.”

Seaside Heights Mayor Bill Akers publically supported naming the ride after the devastating storm. “We hope that it’s perceived in a positive way, that we’re back, we know the force of Mother Nature, and that we respect that, and this is our way of celebrating,” he said, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Who knows? By the end of the summer, the Jersey Shore might introduce other new disaster-themed attractions like “Cicada Attack” or “The L Train on a Tuesday at 9am”

All fixed now. (Instagram)

A new boom has successfully been hoisted onto the crane at One57, nearly seven months after the previous crane snapped during Hurricane Sandy and dangled ominously over West 57th Street for several days.

The maneuver's completion—which involved swinging the boom over three buildings before hauling it up the side of the uber-luxury tower—was announced by Extell at just after 3 p.m. this afternoon. Residents of the two co-ops under the boom will now be allowed to return home after being forced to evacuate from their homes last night. It also means that construction will be able to move forward on the condo tower.

The decision to use the swinging maneuver, requiring a second set of evacuations for the residents of Alwyn Court and the Briarcliff (the first was, of course, occasioned by the dangling crane) and possibly endangering the landmarked buildings, was a controversial one. Generally, cranes rise alongside the under-construction buildings and do not involve any swinging of equipment over other buildings.

The co-op board of Alwyn Court, which only learned of the emergency evacuation a short time before it went into effect, even sued for an injunction to stop it. However, on the day before the boom hoisting, Extell and Alwyn reached an agreement, the details of which have not been disclosed. Michael Gross, the author of 740 Park a resident of Alwyn Court, told The Observer last night that it was his understanding the agreement would involve more insurance coverage and greater compensation for displaced residents, which they would not have to submit receipts to receive.

In a statement, Extell thanked a number of agencies, slipping in, at the bottom, a shout out to One57's neighbors.

"The replacement of the boom at One57 has successfully concluded to allow for the safe completion of the building. We would like to wholeheartedly thank the all the city agencies involved in this complex operation, including Department of Buildings, Office of Emergency Management, and the Police and Fire Departments as well as Con Edison and our construction firm, Lend Lease. This team helped ensure that this implementation went as safely and swiftly as possible. We would also like to thank our neighbors for their understanding during this time. Again, our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience."

Not this again! (Getty)

Despite the rainy, windy weather that is set to hit New York tomorrow and a last-minute lawsuit filed to stop Extell from evacuating two co-op buildings adjacent to One57, plans to repair the crane broken during Hurricane Sandy are still moving forward Saturday morning.

Which means that the unfortunate residents of Alwyn Court, the landmarked building at the corner of Seventh Avenue and 58th Street, will either vacate the building voluntarily in the next few hours or face forcible eviction. The crane repair involves swinging a boom over Alwyn and two other buildings before hoisting it up the side of the unfinished tower.

The co-op board of the Alwyn reached a late-breaking settlement with Extell this morning after filing an injunction to block the emergency evacuation—an unpleasant reminder of the other emergency evacuation that ousted residents from their homes when the crane broke during Hurricane Sandy.

To see how things were going, The Observer checked in with Michael Gross, chronicler of high-end real estate, author of 740 Park and resident of Alwyn Court. Mr. Gross, who is unhappily adjusting to his unenviable, unexpected role in the city's super-luxury real estate saga, recently penned an angry op-ed in The New York Times about relative wealth and privilege in New York, questioning the Department of Building's decision to evacuate the buildings rather than force Extell to employ the slower, costlier method used at other construction sites around the city.

Mr. Gross was walking his dog in Central Park when we talked, getting ready to leave his apartment in the next few hours and check in at a nearby hotel. He said that though the details of the settlement had not been disclosed to residents at this point, his understanding was that it would involve Extell increasing its insurance coverage for the maneuver, and more compensation for residents (Extell had initially offered up to $1,500) without them having to submit receipts for all purchases.

"Frankly, I was not worried about the apartment so much as the corruption of the city and the unfairness of all this. Cranes go up and down in the city all the time and no one gets evacuated," Mr. Gross said. "Who is the city working for here? What they're doing is unsafe. The city is going to create a false emergency to save time and money. Extell has been undiplomatic, but I’m maddest at the DOB."

In response to questions about the method of repair, both Extell and the DOB told The Times that the completion of One57 was in the interest of the neighboring buildings, with an Extell spokesperson saying that "we understand, and apologize for the inconvenience caused by this disruption; however, this operation will allow for the safe completion of the building.”

Mr. Gross told us that some of his neighbors have said that they will refuse to leave Alwyn Court, even though eviction orders were posted on all floors of the building last night—including in the sub-basement where he and some of the other soon-to-be refugees store their suitcases.

And what of the comments on his Times op-ed that lambasted him for complaining about a $1,500 hotel stipend and not being reimbursed for "household necessities" from high-end retailer Gracious Home during the Sandy evacuation?

"You know what we bought from Gracious Home? We bought a travel iron for $20 because the apartment that we rented did not have one," Mr. Gross said. He added that he thought Extell should be paying residents $20,000 to leave for the weekend.

"They’re selling apartments for $90 million!" he griped. "The problem is that it’s in everyone’s interest to finish that monstrosity."

A colorful Mermaid Parade-goer (Featured in the parade's Kickstarter video)

Six months ago, Superstorm Sandy left Coney Island’s annual Mermaid Parade high and dry. Now, parade participants are hoping their new Kickstarter campaign will help them get back on their flippers.When Sandy struck Coney Island last October, it completely flooded the Mermaid Parade’s headquarters on Surf Avenue. With thousands of dollars of damage still in need of repair, the parade’s organizers realized they wouldn’t be able to finance this year’s parade on their own.

Mermaid Parade-goers pose and pout for the camera (Featured in the Mermaid Parade Kickstarter video)

“Let’s face it: we’ve had some hard times,” says parade founder Dick Zigun, in a video on the Kickstarter page. In the video, Mr. Zigun is standing in the damaged headquarters. “Where I’m standing was up to here in floodwater—our headquarters was totally destroyed…We’re still recovering hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage, and it’s just beyond us. We can’t pull it all off this year.” The parade costs around $190,000.

The Kickstarter campaign—titled “Save the Coney Island Mermaid from Extinction!”—aims to raise $100,000 in the next 25 days. Already, the campaign is making some serious waves. Launched just two days ago, the parade has already raised upwards of $34,500 dollars from over 750 donors.

“I’m freaking flabbergasted,” Mr. Zigun told the Daily News after the campaign raised $27,000 in a single day. “Would I bet money that there will be a Mermaid Parade? Send a bookie my way.”

Dick Zigun, founder of the Mermaid Parade (Featured in the Mermaid Parade Kickstarter video)

“Please don’t let the Mermaid parade flounder in a sea of apathy!” wrote one impassioned commenter on the Kickstarter page. “Courage, Mer-folks! We WILL prevail,” wrote another.

The Mermaid Parade has been an annual Coney Island tradition since its inception in 1983. Every year, over a thousand elaborately costumed participants make their way down Mermaid Avenue, Surf Avenue, and Neptune Avenue in celebration of “Coney Island pride,” according to the campaign.

We’re crossing our fins in hopes that the Mermaid Parade’s campaign will continue to go swimmingly!

Montauk Property on East Lake Drive.

NYO spotlights the Hamptons, where real estate sometimes follows Manhattan trends, but has its own particular flavor as you move through the towns of the South Fork. 

You might think that, less than a year after a cataclysmic coastal weather event like Superstorm Sandy, home buyers would be a little gun shy about purchasing properties near the ocean. But you would be—in the case of the Hamptons, according to the experts we consulted—wrong. The fact is that the Hamptons, unlike some communities in Long Island closer to Manhattan, largely escaped the wrath of Sandy, although some low-lying properties, like Jane Lauder’s cottage by the sea, were flattened. But by and large, the East End was spared and is drawing buyers who might have considered beach communities elsewhere. “Superstorm Sandy is attracting new people to the Hamptons,” says Ernie Cervi, Corcoran’s Executive Managing Director in Bridgehampton. “Where beach communities were devastated by the storm, those in search of a world-class beach resort are test-driving the Hamptons.”

Last year, brokers say, the market did not start really hopping until the end of the year, which brought tax breaks for those who closed before the start of 2013. Different story this year, says Marcia Altman, senior director for Brown Harris Stevens of the Hamptons. “The market has taken off with great enthusiasm,” she says. “Some price ranges are selling like hot cakes.”

And with some first-quarter results already trickling in, both trade volume and pricing are on the rise. “I thought the transactional volume of the fourth quarter 2012 might cannibalize the first quarter of 2013,” says Andrew Saunders, head of Saunders & Associates, which has offices in Bridgehampton and Southampton. “But our bookings are very strong. There’s renewed enthusiasm for the Hamptons.” Among those who are enthused, Mr. Saunders adds happily, are the investor class. “For prime investable properties south of the highway, there are many more buyers than sellers.”

The clubhouse at Bishop's Pond, site of a new development.

One seaside and wind-swept area that is attracting a lot of attention these days is Montauk. The once-sleepy fishing village at the farthest reaches of the South Fork has become a magnet for the glamorous and even those in search of nightlife. “Over the past few years, many restaurants, hotels and club-like venues have been established in Montauk,” Mr. Cervi says. “You can still go there for its great surfing, beaches and small-town atmosphere. But now you can also go to a chic place for lunch and hang by the pool.” Everyone from singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright to candypreneur Dylan Lauren has heeded the siren song of the new—but still charming—Montauk.

Oceanfront is great, but being near any kind of water is always a draw. And as Mr. Cervi points out, the Hamptons are chock-full of beautiful bays and ponds—something that many homebuyers love. For those who must have ocean, but don’t want to travel as far out as Montauk, there are plenty of other pleasant options as well. “There are great oceanfront deals in Westhampton and in Quogue,” points out Douglas Elliman president and CEO Dottie Herman, a longtime Hamptons expert and great aficionado. “The beaches are beautiful there. Further east, if you search north of the highway, there are some really spectacular homes with unbelievable views, and for less than what you would pay for the same amount of space south of the highway. Each town has its own character—there is something for everyone.”

Ms. Altman sees the trend moving westward as well. “The western Hamptons, Westhampton Beach and Quogue area are particularly hot,” she says. “The traffic that clogs the roads east of the Shinnecock Canal and the difficulty getting into restaurants, etc. ... further east, has brought the buyers to this area in droves.”

Everyone is noticing the uptick in activity. Ms. Herman says renters commenced their searches for Hamptons summer getaways earlier in the season this year compared to last, and everyone seems to agree that well-priced properties for sale are moving briskly.  “Anything priced right is hot,” Ms. Herman says, “because people want to know they are making a smart investment. The Hamptons is one of the most beautiful places on Earth, no matter where you are.”

Somewhere to dine al fresco in the Hamptons.

Who is buying these homes? Mostly New Yorkers, and those from the tristate area, with a smattering of foreigners and the usual contingent of people from the entertainment industry. Most deals are not the high-profile ones that make the news, like hedge fund titan Steve Cohen’s $60 million purchase in East Hampton on Further Lane and the Atlantic Ocean. In fact, as Mr. Saunders is at some pains to point out, the “critical mass of transactions is $2 million and under. The Hamptons has an elitist reputation. But the lifestyle is affordable to more people.”

Concurring that the super-rich and famous alone do not make a market, Ms. Herman says, “The second-home market is a huge trend right now among two sets of people: Baby boomers who want to buy a place big enough to have their children and grandchildren come visit, and the younger set who want to feel like they can get away without the hassle of taking a plane. They can drive a couple of hours and still feel like they are on vacation. With interest rates near record lows, I anticipate this second-home trend will be around for a while.”

Buyers are looking for value and solid investments, says Ms. Herman, plus “big spaces to entertain with great kitchens, luxurious finishes, big closets and great views!”

The buyers Ms. Altman is seeing are asking for and paying higher prices for updated homes with new kitchens, baths and updated mechanical systems. “There is also a very noticeable trend towards modern,” she notes. “It’s showing up in new construction and in the ’70s and ’80s contemporaries that lend themselves to modern renovations.”

Mr. Cervi says the confidence in the Hamptons market is evident in broad daylight with new construction dotting the landscape. “Investors and end users are buying raw land and building substantial homes,” he says. And in yet another development, Mr. Cervi’s firm, Corcoran, is involved in the creation of two new condominium buildings as well. One is the conversion of the Bulova Watchcase Factory in downtown Sag Harbor, called, appropriately, Watchcase. The other is Bishop’s Pond, a parcel that will feature large units in Southampton.

jallon@observer.com

According to a study released today by climate change research organization Climate Central, Hurricane Sandy flushed 11 billion gallons of raw and partially treated sewage from sewage treatment plants into bodies of water—and in some cases city streets—in the Northeast after the storm. Climate Central’s report notes that 11 billion gallons is the amount that could cover the entire area of Central Park (1.4 square miles) if it was filled 41 feet high.

Gross.

Most of the overflow—roughly 94 percent—was the result of damage to the area’s sewage treatment plants. Most plants were ill equipped to handle the sludge flowing in from the storm surge, as many are built in relatively low-lying areas so gravity can easily pump wastewater in and out. In some place the surges just flooded treatment plants, and in others floods coupled with power outages caused facilities to shut down entirely. Damage to treatment plants will cost New York nearly $2 billion to repair.

“Sandy showed the extreme vulnerability of the region’s sewage treatment plants to rising seas and intense coastal storms,” said Alyson Kenward, lead author of the report, said in a press release.

According to the report, of the eight states most affected by the storm, New York and New Jersey were dumped on the hardest. Climate Central reports that 93 percent of the volume of the overflows took place in both states, and 18 of the 20 largest spills happened in those states, in addition to four major spills of more than one billion gallons each.

New Yorkers need not worry about any lingering health effects from the contaminated water, though—Ms. Kenward told the Daily News that risks are lessening as the sewage moves out to sea. However, the long-term environmental impacts of the giant spills remain to be seen.

2 Gold is trying for a comeback.

While Verizon is planning to move 1,100 workers out of Lower Manhattan after two building floods in as many years, TF Cornerstone is banking on the fact that luxury renters will still want to live in FiDi, even if things didn't go so well the last time around.

TF Cornerstone has invested $15 million to repair its severely storm-damanged 51-story tower at 2 Gold Street and the adjacent 201 Pearl Street, going so far as to install a 13-foot-by-11-foot aluminum gate that uses nitrogen-fueled gaskets to create a watertight seal for the basement.

The building was one of the most hard hit residential towers during Hurricane Sandy and even though TF Cornerstone agreed to let tenants out of their leases on account of the fact that they weren't able to return until March, the company is still dealing with a class-action tenant lawsuit for other damages and Sandy-related inconveniences.

Now, it's trying to lure somewhat wary renters back with upgraded common areas and no fee leases. There is—as a recent press release about the "golden opportunity" to rent in "FiDi's most desirable building" touted—fully-restored amenities that include a rooftop solarium with an indoor fireplace, a lounge with two full-size billiards tables and a 9,000-square foot roof deck with a "real grass lawn."

TF Cornerstone has been leasing apartments since March 1 and still has quite a bit of inventory to turn over. Streeteasy shows 42 active listings on the market ranging from $2,465 for a studio to $5,975 for a three-bedroom.

And, while some renters might be hesitant to return to the Financial District with or without a flood gate, the surprisingly empty halls do offer at least one advantage.

“It is a little quiet now," one returning renter told the Daily News. "I don’t ever have to wait for the elevator.”

Sandy is still causing headaches. Bureaucratic ones.

After Hurricane Sandy, rent-stabilized tenants living in damaged buildings with diminished services were told—and believed—that they would be able to get rent reductions for the entire time they were without services.

The Rent Stabilization Code stipulates that reductions are given from the time the service is lost. But, as rent-stabilized residents at Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town have discovered, they might only be eligible for reductions starting in March—a four-month discrepancy that could be worth thousands of dollars per tenant.

According to a recent fact sheet from the state's Division of Housing and Community Renewal, rent reductions will only be awarded from the month that the department notifies landlords of diminished services, rather than from the time when the services were lost. For the 1,200 tenants of Stuy Town and Peter Cooper Village who filed with their claims with the Department on Feb. 26, the difference is significant. Rather than receiving rent reductions starting in late October, when flooding damaged the building's security systems, laundry rooms, elevators, building intercoms, bike and carriage room storage and trunk storage, reductions would only start applying in March, or even April.

Now, politicians are trying to untangle the mess.

"Unlike the Rent Stabilization Code this seems to be an administrative policy that doesn't have a basis in law," State Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh told The Observer. "We're talking about a fact sheer versus a formally adopted code."

Earlier this week Mr. Kavanagh, State Senator Brad Hoylman, Councilmember Dan Garodnick, U.S. Representative Carolyn Maloney and borough president Scott Stringer sent a letter to the Division of Housing asking for clarification on the discrepancy and an explanation on its basis. They have yet to receive a response and the Division has not yet returned a request for comment from The Observer.

Mr. Kavanagh said that tenants could be denied a significant amount of compensation to which they are entitled if the Division's standard is applied rather than the Rent Stabilization Code's. Moreover, the Divison is not even applying reductions from the date they were filed, but from the beginning of the month that notifications are served on the landlords. Meaning that in some cases, rent reductions could be delayed a number of additional weeks, or even months.

Tenants may also have reason to be concerned as it's not the first time that the Division of Housing has shifted its policies and interpretations to be more landlord friendly. Incidentally, the last case also involved rent-stabilized tenants in Stuy-Town and Peter Cooper Village.

The tenants lived in apartments that had been removed from rent stabilization even though the landlords were receiving J-51 benefits. In 2000, the Division of Housing—which had earlier issued an opinion letter stating that J-51 units were exempt from deregulation—adopted a regulation that the exemption didn't apply to buildings like Stuy Town, which would have been rent stabilized even if the landlords did not receive J-51 benefits. The regulation was eventually struck down in court as illegal.

As for the market-rate tenants living in the complex? Neither the Rent Stabilization Code nor the Division's rules and regulations apply to them. But there's a class action lawsuit that they could join.

kvelsey@observer.com