Brooklyn, NY – In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, Flatbush Shomrim volunteers took to the streets with chainsaws to begin cutting up and removing fallen trees that were blocking roadways and preventing emergency and supply vehicles from accessing streets in Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Marine Park, and Brighton Beach. Grateful residents cheered their efforts and the removal of some 75 trees. Yet, the New York City Parks Department did not appreciate Shomrim’s intervention and ordered the volunteer group to stop working.
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“We had a little problem with the Parks Department,” Flatbush Shomrim Founder Chaim Deutsch told the Brooklyn Daily (http://bit.ly/XZbSmz). Deutsch said a Parks official told him to stay away from the fallen trees. “He said we’re not supposed to be doing that, but I said in a crisis, I’ll do whatever I have to. We already did a large part of the Parks Department’s job by cutting down 75 trees.”
According to the Parks Department, if fallen trees do not constitute an emergency, the City has up to two weeks to remove them. If the fallen trees do create a hazardous situation, only agency foresters and contractors with the necessary permits are allowed to cut down City trees. Even if a tree falls on private property, a homeowner still needs to ensure his contractor obtains permission from the Parks Department before doing away with the tree.
“Non-certified foresters who do not have permission from Parks should not go out with chainsaws and remove trees. It’s dangerous,” an agency spokeswoman said.
One Sheepshead Bay resident had nothing but praise for Deutsch and his chainsaw crew. “The Parks Department does not do a good job with trees,” Allen Popper said. “They do a terrible job. Chaim Deutsch and the Flatbush Shomrim were doing everything Bloomberg’s people should have done.”
While Deutsch has since retired his chainsaw, he says he stands at the ready should another disaster hit the area. “You cannot rely on the city, because the city doesn’t always have the resources,” he explained. “We prepare ourselves, on our own, to help as much as possible.”
to the SHOMRIM – ignore the dictatorship of the King Mike and do your job. Yasher Kochachem.
Flatbush Shomrim volunteers helped me remove a fallen tree that was blocking my car – if I would wait for Bloomberg I would still be waiting
Liberilism at it’s best.
Make citizens more and more dependable on big government so their lives can be dictated by those who fell themselves superior to others.
I’ve yet to hear an apology from varios city departments for their misfunction during crisis.
It’s a matter of time till they do the same with hatzalah – need permision before they’re allowed to save lives everytime an emergency happens.
Bloomberg can’t admit that he needs help and for that reason he didn’t allow national guard to operate in the city.
There is still a broken street on my block and the broken sidewalk that goes with it. The homeowner has done absolutely nothing!! I guess they are waiting for the snow to fall, cover everything, and then, somebody to trip and break their neck!!
Strangers walk on this street as well. The regulars know where the broken squares are, The strangers do not!! How long will we have to wait??
What kind of CHUTZPAH!
In other words they said to the shomrim ‘volunteers’ (who by the way didn’t get a dime in compensation):
Let us lazy city workers do the cutting at a rate of 1 tree per day, while we can take our ‘deserved’ coffee brakes every hour or so, then claim ‘overtime’ on the taxpayers expense, we wanted to steel the taxpayers money, here comes ‘u guys’ and ‘take matters into your own hands’…
HOW DARE YA!!
Keep it up! With your Emergency tree cutting service saved hundreds of thousands of dollars TAXPAYER MONEY,
Shomrim BP, Willy and Flatbush covered roughly 30% of Brooklyn.
(By the way, imagine FEMA telling shomrim to get out of seagate and Far Rockway…)
Simple solution:
Create a Shomrim UNION, and you’ll be could to go!!
They don’t care about the people who might be helped they only care about their jobs -UNION jobs.
Boro president Molinari from Staten Island asked its citizens NOT to give a DIME to Red Cross because they were NO where to be found when people were crying for food,shelter,blankets and life saving equipment…And here comes such a great organization as Shomrim and WOW…what a crime they did..The actually did a better job then the Parks Dept…wow…they put the city to shame….i really believe a shikker pirim afternoon wouldnt talk such shtissim….
The bleep with Troll Bloomberg and his regime of bumbling fools. Obviously one cannot rely on govt!! Liberalism MUST be defeated!!
Did you folks hear the FEMA guy on Zev Brenner motzai shabbos? He was talking in circles. Govt is a necessary evil but DON’T rely on them.
I wanted to dispose of a few tree branches in the garbage truck, but was told by the sanitation workers not to throw in any branches. Why?
In the Fall of 1968, I was with the 70th Precinct Auxiliary Police, Rescue Service Unit. In November, 1968, a gigantic, older, oak tree had fallen down across Westminster Road, near Ditmas Avenue, in Brooklyn. About twelve of us with chain saws, and other equipment cleared that tree from the roadway, and had it removed. There was a Patrolman from the 70th Precinct, who provided additional security, and told us “that the entire community was appreciative of our efforts”. There was no bureaucracy to go through at that time, with the Parks Department, or getting a special permit. Likewise, in my community, several trees fell down across our street, following an ice storm, a number of years ago. I assisted someone with a chain saw, and we removed those trees, which were blocking the road. There are times, when it is not practical to wait for governmental authority. For example, if someone wants to hook up a generator during a blackout, is he/she supposed to wait several weeks to get approval for the necessary permits, or should he engage a contractor and go ahead? If it means freezing in the winter, I say go ahead, and have a contractor install the generator.