Frank Cesar, who said he had lived in Baldwin for 46 years, was typical of the information seekers. “My family consists of four adults and one child,” Cesar began. “I’ve been to every hotel within five miles of my house …”
The question-and-answer session continued for several hours, while a busy table manned by Curran staffers distributed informational leaflets. Some attendees did not get the answers they had hoped to hear, but for most it was good simply to have a live human to address.

“Thank you for setting this up,” said one questioner. “It’s good to talk to an actual person.”

Below are some vital pieces of information disseminated at the meeting.

• Baldwin neighbors Twitter information account: twitter.com/BaldwinNeighbor
• Baldwin Sandy recovery Facebook page: facebook.com/VibrantBaldwin (email vibrantBaldwin@gmail.com)
• Long Island Sandy recovery Twitter: twitter.com/LISandyRecovery
• Long Island Sandy recovery Facebook page: facebook.com/LongIslandSandyRecovery
• Assemblyman Brian Curran’s office: (516) 561-8216
• Sanitary District 2: (516) 223-3207
• Nassau County Office of Emergency Management: (516) 573-0636
• Nassau County non-emergency hotline: (888) 684-4274
• Long Island Power Authority: (800) 490-0075 or www.lipa.org/stormcenter
• Nassau Department of Public Works: (516) 571-6900
• Nassau Department of Health: (516) 227-9697 (emergencies call 742-6154)
• New York state Sandy helpline: (888) 769-7243
• Consumer Affairs price gouging hotline: (516) 571-2449
• Federal Emergency Management Agency: (800) 621-3362
• FEMA point of distribution, Baldwin: St. Christopher’s church, Merrick Road and Pershing Boulevard
• Gov. Andrew Cuomo has set up a financial services disaster hotline for those with insurance-related questions. The hotline, (800) 339-1759, is staffed Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Tax laws may help individuals and businesses recover from the disaster. Businesses may be able to deduct property losses, for example, and some deductions can be applied to the prior year’s taxes. For information, call (866) 562-5227 or go to www.irs.gov and click on disaster relief.