NEW YORK CITY — New Yorkers who live in mandatory evacuation areas won't be allowed to reenter their homes until they've been inspected and tagged for reentry, Mayor Bloomberg said Wednesday.
The Department of Buildings has to send an inspector to the Zone A buildings one by one to determine whether they're safe and structurally sound, Bloomberg said at a press conference.
Larger buildings will be allowed to self-certify whether their buildings are safe to enter, Bloomberg said.
Since cellphones and phones are unreliable, the only way to find out if your Zone A home or apartment building is clear is to check a color-coded DOB inspection sticker on the front of your building, Bloomberg said.
"You're just going to have to look at the sticker," Bloomberg said, "I know it's inconvenient but it's a practical way to solve the problem."
Red stickers mean the buildings are not safe to enter, yellow means caution, and green stickers mean you can enter, Bloomberg said.
He did not say how long the process would take or how many buildings were in the affected zones.
