(BPT) - Indoors or outdoors, your home decor needs some TLC to look its best. Replacing worn or dated furniture or flooring inside your home is considered fairly easy. But when outdoor spaces start to appear shabby, do you decide to live with the tired look because you think freshening the space will be too time-consuming or costly?

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D-Fresh Meadows) Friday blasted the city’s Department of Environmental Protection for what they saw as a lackluster response to chronic flooding in Fresh Meadows and similar neighborhoods all across the city.

“This is a decades-old problem in neighborhoods like Fresh Meadows. But after the wake-up call Sandy delivered, there’s just no excuse for inaction. We need a water system that matches the extreme weather we face, and policies that treat homeowners fairly when their homes are damaged through no fault of their own,” de Blasio said during a rainy press conference, ironically adding “We can’t keep leaving families high and dry.”

With the Senate session winding down in Albany, and about a thousand bills left to debate, the hydrofracking moratorium bill may not even hit the floor for a vote. Most Queens lawmakers oppose allowing the drilling process in New York State without conclusive scientific evidence that it can be done safely, without contaminating groundwater.

The drilling process known as hydrofracking is used to obtain natural gas from rock formations, such as the Marcellus Shale, which stretches from New York’s Southern Tier to West Virginia. Fracking involves injecting millions of gallons of water along with a slurry of sand and about 600 chemicals into a narrow horizontal pipe at high pressure to induce “mini-earthquakes,” which release the natural gas.

(NAPSI)—For many motorists, the battery is a case of under hood, out of mind until they’re stranded by a dead battery, which can be inconvenient and even dangerous—but this doesn’t have to happen to you. Look for such signs that the battery is failing as the headlamps look dim at idle and brighten when you rev the engine or the starter groans and turns slowly, barely starting the car.

(NAPSI)—Fun in the sun is a lot less likely to give way to an emergency at sea if you follow a few tips on how to reduce your risk of electric shock drowning and common boating and marina electrical hazards.

(BPT) - Whether it’s plywood, bottled water or generators, Americans gather the necessary supplies and seek the appropriate shelter if confronted by the wrath of Mother Nature. Regardless of the disaster – hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires – lives can be turned upside-down in an instant. Some of the most commonly overlooked items, as people stock up for emergencies, are prescription medications. In some cases, not having access to necessary medication can itself be a life-threatening situation.

(BPT) - When warm weather arrives, does your family head outdoors to enjoy your patio or deck? Do they then turn around and head right back into the air-conditioned comfort when summer sun and temperatures make outdoor living spaces too hot to handle?

(StatePoint) In the warmer months your home’s outdoor space is just as important as the rooms inside, especially if your family spends a lot of time outside.

(BPT) - Few inventions have evolved as amazingly fast from science fiction to science fact as touchscreen technology. From its very basic beginnings in the mid-1960s to the first consumer applications on ATM machines in the ’80s, touchscreen technology has reached virtually everywhere – including our pocket-sized mobile devices.

(BPT) - Let’s face it: summer is the season when everyone wants to look and feel their best. Warm weather and long days mean everyone’s heading outdoors, hanging with friends and enjoying the best of the season. Even the guys are looking great – from relaxing at the beach, to putting down the golf greens, to walking the city sidewalks.

(BPT) - Minor kitchen updates can result in enhanced appearance, enjoyment and increased home value. With a free weekend and a modest budget, you can accomplish some do-it-yourself projects that will give your kitchen a whole new look.

Volunteers will be descending on Jamaica Bay this summer as part of a federal program aimed at repairing damage done at Gateway National Recreation Area by Hurricane Sandy.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell on May 30 launched the “National Parks of New York Harbor Conservation and Resiliency Corps,” a partnership with the city and the Student Conservation Association, a group that has had experience with disaster recovery across the country. The program, which the Obama administration is hoping will lead to a large, similar one, will provide approximately 200 volunteer jobs for young people in 2013 to participate in Hurricane Sandy recovery and cleanup efforts.

With the memory of Superstorm Sandy only seven months old, and the work to rebuild and recover from this devastating storm ongoing every day in our ravaged community, it’s no surprise that predictions for a very active 2013 hurricane season, which began June 1 in the United States, are a serious cause for great concern. After what we’ve been through and are continuing to experience here in Queens in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy — with so many residents still not in their homes and still attempting to repair the fabric of their lives — the thought of additional dangerous weather activity is almost inconceivable and most certainly unwelcome.

However, while we can’t control the weather, we can take steps to control our level of preparedness. We’ve learned a lot from Sandy, and I would urge my constituents to think ahead and make sure they have detailed emergency plans in place: from knowing how to contact one another in the c

ase of an emergency; to having adequate supplies of canned goods, medicines, batteries, flashlights and water on hand; to knowing what they can do to help secure their homes and properties to minimize risks during a storm. A great deal of useful hurricane preparedness information may be found at this New York State website: dhses.ny.gov/oem/event/hurricane-safety.cfm.

When Pastor Stephen Roser saw the damage that Hurricane Sandy did to his church, he was devastated.

“I thought it was over,” the Rev. Roser recalled feeling. “I thought of all the years this building has stood here and all the sacrifices that had been made to build this place. It was heartbreaking.”

What caused Joseph and Theresa Pepitone’s Howard Beach home to explode on May 29?

The answer is still under investigation, according to the FDNY, but the department said it does not believe the cause to be tied to recent work done on the home’s gas main by a contractor hired through the city’s Rapid Repairs program.

(BPT) - Few phrases can strike fear into a homeowner’s heart as powerfully as the words “you have a mold problem.” Mold troubles in your home can cause health troubles for your family, and both issues can be notoriously difficult to resolve. It occurs everywhere in nature, but when mold begins growing indoors, it can damage any surface it grows on and cause respiratory problems for those living in the affected house.

(BPT) - The trend toward outdoor living spaces shows no signs of slowing, and the newest step in the trend is blurring the lines between outdoor and indoor spaces. Outdoor spaces are truly becoming an extension of indoors, mimicking the most useful and appealing elements of indoor spaces. The trend is rewriting how Americans construct, outfit and enjoy that backyard staple, the deck.

(BPT) - As you hit the road for this year’s vacation, you may see an increasing number of vehicles on the sides of the highway broken down either with mechanical problems or flat tires. Don’t derail your travel fun by being one of them. A few simple steps will help you avoid being stuck on the side of the road – or at least be prepared in the event it happens.

(StatePoint) It’s summer, and for kids that means it’s time for sports, swimming, biking and picnics. And while active outdoor time is healthy and fun, experts say it’s crucial for parents and kids to brush up on some seasonal safety tips.

(NAPSI)—Josh Westerhold, 36, is a grizzly bear hunter. His weapon is a camera. And over the years, he’s shot grizzlies by the dozens.

(BPT) - When it comes to home improvement, homeowners aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty; 64 percent who plan to make improvements this year say they will do it themselves, according to an American Express Consumer Spending and Saving Report. But not all home decorating or renovating projects are suitable for the average DIYer. So how do you know when to DIY or when to call in a professional?

There’s a 20-foot sycamore tree on the curb in front of Carla Errico’s house on 90th Street in Howard Beach and Errico says it needs to go.

Most of the tree is bare. A few leaves are growing on a branch in the middle of the tree.