Speaking to Canarsie Counts




Seaview Resident Association Members: Shireen, Nicole, Steven and Sheryl.

Condo owners Nicole Brown, Steven Crawford, Shireen Jones and Sheryl Parker who live in the Seaview Estates complex in Brooklyn started the group, Seaview Residents Association, in the summer because they felt neglected  in the months following Hurricane Sandy that struck on October 29, 2012.

Seaview Residents Association, whose motto is "Canarsie Counts," seeks to empower their community, get the attention of lawmakers, and position themselves for federal or other emergency funding according to Mr. Crawford.

Ms. Brown said that the real turning point was the Wednesday after Hurricane Sandy when the condominium board and management group of Seaview Estates held a meeting at the complex to let them know that they were not a top priority.

“The thing that upset me was that our management company Douglas Elliman, who is this big conglomerate, said they had to help the Manhattan residents before they can help us here in Brooklyn,” recalled Ms. Brown who lives at a complex where a studio condo starts at $125,000.

She along with the other group members who have been there for an average of nine years all agreed that this was what Douglas Elliman told residents as they stood in the cold with their flashlights, since power had not been restored yet. However, there are no e-mails, voicemail messages or letters to confirm those allegations.

“When they called a meeting, everyone came out because we were asking, ‘how long are you gonna keep the water in the garage? All of the cars that were under there… had gas coming out of them. So that was of one the issues we raised, we said ‘if you light a match or a cigarette out there, we’re all in trouble,’” Ms. Jones said.

“They had nothing in place to pump out the water.  They said they were trying their best. So they tried their best for two weeks and left us with all that stagnant salt water sitting in the garage which affected the structure of the building,” Ms. Brown continued.

The condominium board hired contractors who began to remove water from the three garages in Seaview Estates but the local firehouse ended up finishing the job two weeks after Hurricane Sandy.

Since then the group has also had serious grievances with their local utility company.

A year later the Seaview Residents Association says the biggest challenge they are facing is getting their electricity back to working standards.

“We have been receiving humongous bills from Con Edison. They say it is for actual usage but meanwhile we have no meters. They’re basically forcing us to pay these bills. Mine is almost $2,000,” said Ms. Brown. She plans to pay her electricity bill once the cost is adjusted.

As shown in the pictures below, there are truly no working meters in the entire Seaview Estates complex. According to the association members, residents were told by Con Edison that they can refute their bills by presenting notarized letters from relatives or hotel receipts that showed how long they were away from their homes after the storm.

Electricity came back on fifteen days after the storm and all four group members along with their neighbors having been using a reduced amount of power since last year. For example Ms. Jones said she still does not put on her stove and heater at the same time.

Canarsie Assemblyman Alan Maisel is aware of the situation. According to Ms. Brown, he requested that the Seaview Residents Association send him a list of tenants with exorbitant bills  in an attempt to rectify the situation with Con Edison. In the meantime most residents of Seaview Estates have filed complaints with NYC Consumer Affairs.

While the fight to lower their electrical bill continues, Seaview Residents Association hopes to receive funding through the New York Build it Back program in order to restore the common areas of Seaview Estates such as the:

·    Roof (which leaks whenever there is heavy rain and causes mold to form on the wall in Ms. Brown’s unit as well as other units in the complex.)

·   Electrical gates for cars to enter the parking lot (Seaview Residents Association members said all three gates just began working the day I visited the property on November 9, 2013 .)

·    The falling balcony railings primarily located on the first floor of some buildings.

·    Eroding walkways especially on the side facing Jamaica Bay (as seen in the image above.)

Other common areas include the pool and laundry room which have been out of service since the storm.

Ms. Brown said that she  applied for FEMA aid but was denied. Ms. Jones and Ms. Parker said they did not apply.

As the group strives to bring the community together on important matters affecting their livelihood, Ms. Brown wants “Canarsie families and residents to stand up, put their pride aside and let their voices be heard. If not for yourself, for your children and their children.”

For more information about Seaview Residents Association, contact Nicole Brown via e-mail: canarsiecounts@gmail.com

Editor's Note: An earlier version of the article incorrectly stated that some Seaview Estates residents started a group called Canarsie Counts. The actual name of the group is Seaview Residents Association. Also, the follow-up action promised by Assembly Alan Maisel was updated to indicate that he has the names of residents with Con Edison issues. (11/20/2013)