Sandy refugees stay in donated apartments

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NEW YORK, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Three families in New York City, displaced by Hurricane Sandy, say they are grateful for free use of apartments on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

Temporary use of luxury one-bedroom apartments was offered by their owner, rent-free, to a number of victims of the hurricane and flood, the New York Post reported Monday.

"It was unbelievable. We couldn't pass it up. There are really no words to describe how it made us feel," said television producer Lacy Edwards, whose Long Beach, Long Island, home she shared with her husband, police officer Brian Edwards, was flooded.

Accountant Erin Joyce, her husband and 1-year-old son, and Antoinette Diamond and Anthony Borello also lived in the apartments until other arrangements could be secured, the newspaper said.

"It felt so good to take a hot shower and go to sleep in a bed," said Diamond.

The apartments belong to Stone Street Properties, who co-owner, Rob Morgenstern, said, "We thought about donating [cash], but what we have are bricks, heat and water. All of a sudden that became a commodity."