“Alex can’t come to the phone right now, he’s busy enjoying Brooklyn’s many splendors, so fuggedaboutit, leave him a message.” via New York Magazine

DUMBO may not have the war zone image of some of New York’s harder-hit hurricane neighborhoods, but being right on the water means there are still plenty of businesses that suffered damage. Some have managed to reopen, but plenty are still struggling. So today and this weekend, you can help them start rebuilding.

Tonight at 6pm, Galapagos Art Space (whose seating was floating but a couple weeks ago) hosts a fundraiser to help businesses like Governor, Brooklyn Roating and One Girl Cookie, which was the setting of our interview with eight-year old DJ Kai Song. If the event sounds familiar, it’s because after getting slammed with a totally normal and predictable hurricane, the event had to be postponed for a completely and ordinary nor’easter that dumped a foot of snow on the city. In November.

Anyway. There’s going to be an auction, and even better,a raffle with a prize of voicemail message from the borough prez himself, Marty Markowitz. Tickets for the event start at $25, but those are sold out. So if you love DUMBO, it’ll cost you $50 or $100 bucks to get in, but it’s not like you don’t get anything for it. A $50 ticket gets you a DUMBO temporary tattoo and two drink ticket, while a $100 one gets you the above and a tote from Brooklyn’s Finest.

And if you can’t make it tonight, how about this Saturday, when powerHouse Arena holds their #SandyHatesBooks fundraiser? The details are out, and this one is a doozy. They’ve managed to snag Jonathon Franzen, Paul Auster, Pete Hammil and Jennifer Egan, among others, to read. They’ll also have a poet (Leigh Stein) slinging drinks and advice at the bar from 6pm to 9pm and a raffle in which you can win art from your favorite artists and illustrators. Toss them a suggested donation of $10 and you too can talk to Jennifer Egan about what you think New York will look like years into the future and corner Paul Auster to talk about his Lucas Duda obsession.