New York City Department of Health in-plant flooded during Hurricane Sandy

The United Nation’s in-plant in New York was not the only casualty of Hurricane Sandy. Since our report of the U.N. flood last month, we learned that the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s satellite print center in Brooklyn was also swamped during the storm.

“They were saying it had close to 12 feet of water in there,” reports Nick Monello, director of the Health Department’s Reproduction Unit, which also includes two facilities in Manhattan. “So much damage. Not just the print shop, the whole distribution [center]. Everything got ruined.”

The operation contains a five-color Ryobi 750 perfector press, a Presstek Dimension 412 CTP system, a Standard Horizon collator/stitcher/folder, and a Heidelberg KAMA TS 74 die cut embosser along with other folding and cutting equipment. What’s more, it is the site where all paper deliveries are made.

“I just got a delivery that Friday,” laments Monello—a $95,000 delivery, he adds. In all, he estimates the flooded facility contained nearly $3 million worth of paper.

“What a disaster,” he declares.

The Health Department’s Reproduction Unit has installed an astonishing amount of new equipment in recent years, funded in part by federal bio-terrorism grant money. Ironically, the Brooklyn facility was opened as a backup in case terrorism compromised the Manhattan operations.

“We were one of the best agencies in the city,” remarks Monello, who has been in charge of the in-plant for 27 years. “Now I’ve got nothing.”