City officials collected as many as 3,000 bags of donated clothing today, scrambling to save donations for Hurricane Sandy victims before they were ruined by rain.
According to the mayor’s office, officials rescued the clothing from hard-hit sites like Staten Island, the Rockaways and Red Hook.
The clothes were donated by New Yorkers to help victims of the hurricane, but Mayor Michael Bloomberg expressed concern earlier today that they would be rendered useless if stuck outside in the storm expected tomorrow.
He said that workers from the Sanitation, Parks and Transportation Departments, alongside volunteers and U.S. Marines, worked to collect the outdoor donations.
“Leaving clothing out on the streets is just going to get it ruined, it doesn’t help anybody,” he said.
The much-needed items are now in an indoor spot looked over by the Salvation Army, according mayor’s office spokeswoman Samantha Levine.
Bloomberg also said today that he would close parks tomorrow and evacuate four health care facilities in the Rockaways ahead of the expected nor’easter.
