Auditors say post-Sandy equipment unaccounted for
By MICHAEL VIRTANEN, AP
Nearly half of the $1.2 million in equipment purchased by the state to keep polling stations open after Superstorm Sandy wasn't received, recovered later or disposed of properly, New York auditors reported Friday.
In the first of several audits examining the state's storm response, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services needs to improve how it buys and tracks equipment during emergencies. The October 2012 storm damaged and flooded parts of New York City, Long Island and other suburbs.
The division bought $1.2 million in generators, lights and heaters for election polling stations following the storm. The audit found that the agency failed to effectively account for $562,000 of the equipment either before distributing it or in failing to track it or develop a plan to get it back.
The division, in an earlier response to an audit draft, said it overhauled procedures and can now account for 708 of the 811 generators, the most expensive items.
http://www.legislativegazette.com/Articles-Top-Stories-c-2014-03-21-87291.113122-Auditors-say-postSandy-equipment-unaccounted-for.html