While many people have moved on and forgotten about Hurricane Sandy, nearly 30% of residents in Rockaway are STILL without heat, as the New York winter continues to get more brutal.

It has been more than two months since Hurricane Sandy ravaged much of the northeastern United States, yet many are still without heat, while others are dealing with electrical problems.

New York Communities for Change (NYCC), a social advocacy group, surveyed a cross-section of residents in hard-hit Rockaway, Queens and found that city government is failing to solve severe storm-related problems. According to NYCC:

“More than 60 days after the storm made landfall in New York, Rockaway residents continue to struggle to obtain food, clothing and shelter; their homes have been left moldy, cold and uninhabitable; many more are still without power.”

Here are some more of the survey’s findings:
* Almost one in five (18 percent) of surveyed Rockaway residents still have not returned to their homes.
* Nearly one in 10 (9.3 percent) still have not had their electricity restored.
* Nearly one in three (29 percent) are still without heat.
* More than one in five (21.9 percent) still have wet sheetrock in their homes.
* Nearly four in 10 (37.1 percent) still have mold in their homes.

Temperatures have dipped to the 20s in New York, making hypothermia, frostbite, and other cold-related deadly conditions big concerns.

“Prolonged cold exposure can cause hypothermia and worsen other medical problems,” New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley warned. “Hypothermia is called a ‘silent killer’ because the symptoms are not always obvious.”

The GOP has been torn in half when it comes to supporting government-sponsored Hurricane Sandy relief efforts, causing some northeastern Republicans threatening to quit the party.

Peter King, who represents parts of Long Island, is one of them, while New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, also a Republican, blasted the party for its “disgusting” lack of leadership.

“Last night, the House majority failed the most basic test of leadership and they did so with callous disregard for the people of my state,” Christie fumed.

“It was disappointing and disgusting to watch. There’s only one group to blame… the House majority and their Speaker, John Boehner.” Christie added that the Sandy relief bill “just could not overcome the toxic internal politics of the House majority.”

Jordan Shepherd | Elite.