The U.S. Senate on Tuesday put off voting on $50.7 billion in disaster relief for Superstorm Sandy, this time so they could finish filibuster reform, such as it was. Meanwhile, it has been darned cold around here, and not everybody has heat. From the New York Times:

Devon Lawrence’s home in Far Rockaway, Queens, was washed through with ocean water that damaged his boiler and heating system beyond repair. At night, he tucks his 75-year-old mother, who has dementia and suffers from diabetes, under two blankets — she never takes off the four pairs of pants, three jackets and hat she wears indoors to hold off the seeping cold. Though the boiler was replaced by contractors from the Rapid Repairs program, the repairs have not been completed, he said. For now, Mr. Lawrence, 48, is heating his home with a kerosene heater and has spent $450 on kerosene in the past few weeks, dipping into money he was given by the Federal Emergency Management Agency that should be going to repairing his house, he said.

"I'm worried about everything," Mr. Lawrence said. "When you wake up in the morning, you will breathe fog. If we are not properly covered we could suffer from hypothermia."

Confusingly enough, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid seemed to signal on Tuesday that Sandy relief would come first. Now the vote looks to be set for Monday.

H/t Ari Berman