Public housing developments across the city from the Rockaways in Queens, to the Lower East Side, to Red Hook, Brooklyn, were flooded by Sandy. Electrical systems and boilers remained underwater for days in some complexes. Many residents did not evacuate and endured dark, cold buildings for weeks. Today, the basics – heat, hot water and power – are back but many fixes are temporary.

Businesses and ordinary citizens have given more than $400 million to Sandy-related charities since the storm and money is still coming in. But many of the charities have spent less than half of what they've collected so far.

As the New York City Housing Authority recovers from Sandy, it has been considering moving the boilers that heat its buildings out of basements and into vacant apartments where they will face less risk of flooding, according to people involved in discussions with officials. 

Authorities say a New York City couple has been arrested on weapons charges after a substance used to make bombs and papers titled "The Terrorist Encyclopedia" were found in their Greenwich Village apartment.

This New Year's Eve, some victims of Sandy will be in Times Square, rubbing elbows with tourists and revelers out to watch the ball drop at midnight. But they're not all there by choice. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has moved thousands of people displaced by the storm into hotel rooms across the city, including one in the heart of the tourist hot spot known more for its neon and crowded streets.

Instead of importing mobile homes, the government is putting up people in hotels and short-term apartment rentals. The Bloomberg administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have also set up a program that connects teams of contractors with homeowners needing power, heat and hot water. But demand for those services have overwhelmed the supply, and storm victims on Staten Island are getting impatient.

Beginning Wednesday, New Yorkers living in 12 designated zip codes hit by Sandy may be eligible for  food stamps even if their incomes exceed the regular set limits.

The city is keeping many more juvenile offenders out of the court system and sending them to community based programs instead.

Federal disaster relief officials have ruled out deploying mobile homes to shelter city residents whose own homes have been damaged or destroyed by Sandy. Instead, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will rely on a combination of hotels, rental assistance and a new home repair program run by the city.

Thousands of storm victims are currently staying in New York City hotels. The accommodations range from high end midtown Manhattan hotels to the West Side YMCA. And while many are grateful to have a roof over their heads, more than anything, they want a permanent place to live again.

It's the day before Thanksgiving but here in New York City and just miles away in New Jersey, there is a looming feeling that thousands of people may not have a home, a dining table, or a kitchen to celebrate the holiday. Cindy Rodriguez, a reporter for WNYC, has been covering the story.

The Food Bank for New York City distributes emergency food to pantries and soup kitchens across the city and says since Sandy hit its delivered half a million meals to affected areas. But it's questioning how long it can keep up the pace.

Hospitals, private residential buildings and businesses were all caught off guard by the extent of flooding caused by Sandy. Storing electrical and heating systems underground turned out to be dangerous and devastating. But perhaps nowhere were the effects of the damage more on display than in New York City public housing. In 402 buildings across the city, residents carried water from broken fire hydrants up several flights of stairs, lit their hallways with candles and took other drastic measures to get by.

The New York City Housing Authority sent hundreds of its employees to the sprawling Red Hook Houses Tuesday, where two weeks after Sandy some residents continue to lack power, heat and hot water. The workers—many of whom usually staff office jobs at the authority but volunteered to be in the field—went door to door looking for tenants in need.

The city says 82 percent of public housing developments now have power and 70 percent have heat and hot water. But that still means thousands of residents are living in substandard conditions. 

Red Hook Houses in Brooklyn, where more than 6,000 people live, is one of the worst-off developments. About half the residents are still dealing with power outages, no heat and in some cases no water at all.

Eric Lipton, Washington correspondent for The New York Times, discusses the government effort to provide housing assistance for those displaced by Sandy. Then, WNYC reporter Cindy Rodriguez talks about local aid for the displaced. 

With tens of thousands of people potentially facing homelessness and in need of long term shelter, Mayor Michael Bloomberg Monday appointed a former federal disaster coordinator to oversee the city's efforts to provide them with replacement housing. The new director, Brad Gair, is also a former deputy commissioner for the city's Office of Emergency Management. 

Large parts of the East Village appear to be back to normal with cafes open and young people back on the streets.  But at a public housing development on Avenue C, the desperation was palpable.

The New York City Housing Authority estimates that 56,000 households are living in apartments that have too many rooms for the size of their families – but longtime residents bristle at the thought of downsizing.

City council members and housing officials joined tenants and their advocates Monday outside an apartment building on 190th Street to protest the asking price for the foreclosed property. They claim the sale price is too high and will only result in another round of defaults.