City Response to Irene Gets High Marks From Local Elected Officials

What a difference eight months makes.

Brooklyn elected officials this week lauded Mayor Michael Bloomberg for to Tropical Storm Irene—a position in marked contrast to the widespread criticism levied against his administration after last December's blizzard.

"Mayor Bloomberg did an excellent job responding to threat of Hurricane Irene,” said Councilwoman Letitia James, D-Brooklyn. "I believe that the laws passed in response to last year's snow blizzard—which addressed issues like intergovernmental communications and emergency protocol—established a response baseline that saw us through this hurricane."

on the city's blizzard response in January, with many participants blaming a lack of preparation and a breakdown in communications between different agencies for big delays in clearing streets of snow. 

In one of the hearing's more memorable moments, James brandished what she called "faulty" chains used on cleanup vehicles during and after the blizzard.

This week, the two-term councilwoman sounded a much different note, praising Bloomberg for quickly clearing down trees like this one, which fell early Sunday morning on S. Elliott Place in Fort Greene.

"The administration did an excellent job protecting our city's residents," she said. 

Borough President Marty Markowitz too was effusive in his praise of the city's storm response.

"During the storm, we saw our leaders at their best and exceeding the high expectations New Yorkers demand from their government. The city’s handling of the storm was outstanding—a solid A plus," Markowitz said. "Mayor Bloomberg and his entire team deserve kudos for keeping not only New Yorkers in the loop on storm preparations, evacuations, forecasts and the aftermath, but they were in regular contact with elected officials, which enabled us to better serve our constituents. In a word, I say: 'Bravo!'"