BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
The city opened service
centers in each borough on
Saturday morning for individuals
seeking fi nancial
and other assistance in the
cleanup and recovery efforts
from Wednesday’s fl ash fl ooding
related to Hurricane Ida’s
rainy remnants.
Each center will be open
from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily to
provide New Yorkers in need
with assistance with in-person
support and information.
Workers from city agencies,
nonprofi t groups and community
based organizations will
be on hand to help you apply
for public benefi ts, health insurance,
housing, food assistance,
mental health counseling
and more.
The centers are being operated
by the NYC Departments
of Emergency Management
and Social Services.
Assistance is available to every
New Yorker impacted by
the devastating fl oods of Sept.
1, regardless of immigration
status.
“The fl ash fl ooding we experienced
in New York City
was devastating for many
families,” said NYC Emergency
Management Commissioner
John Scrivani. “To
help New Yorkers navigate
the various services and resources
available to them,
we have established a service
center in each borough with
assistance from our agency
and nonprofi t partners. I encourage
those affected to visit
their local service center, call
311, or access city services online
by visiting NYC.gov/ida.”
The centers are located as
follows:
Bronx: P.S./M.S. 194, 2365
Waterbury Ave., Parkchester
Brooklyn: P.S. 15, 71 Sullivan
St., Red Hook
Manhattan: I.S. 88, 215
West 114th St., Harlem
Queens: M.S. 125, 46-02
47th Ave., Woodside
Staten Island: I.S. 51, 80
Willowbrook Road, Westerleigh
Wednesday’s fl ooding
killed at least 13 people in
New York City, the vast majority
of whom lived in basement
apartments in Brooklyn and
Queens that became rapidly
submerged. Many of these
apartment are believed to be
illegally converted and not
properly regulated.
BRONX TIMES R 18 EPORTER, SEPT. 9-16, 2021 BTR
With that in mind, state Attorney
General Letitia James
urged New York City’s government
on Friday to offer
emergency housing vouchers
to New Yorkers living in
unregulated basement apartments.
“Extreme rainfall and
other severe weather events
are now the rule, not the exception,
in New York. In the
face of that risk, it is our duty
to move these New Yorkers
out of harm’s way by offering
them safer, regulated housing,”
James said in a statement.
“To prevent these problems
in the future, we must
also ensure that basement
units are safe for human occupancy
and regularly inspected.
Overcoming the twin
threats of climate change and
a housing crisis will not be
simple, but we must ensure
measures are in place to protect
our neighbors and prevent
a future catastrophe.”
Also on Friday, Sept. 3,
Gov. Kathy Hochul continued
her tour of fl ood-stricken
parts of the New York City
metropolitan area, visiting
with affected residents in
Queens and Staten Island.
She told Staten Islanders that
it was time for the state to go
on offense when it comes to
adapting to climate change
and preventing future tragedies
when the next storms
strike.
“Let’s go on offense and do
everything we humanly can
to be resilient, to be prepared,
and when a crisis hits, have
better early warning systems
for people, particularly people
who have been living in basement
homes and lower levels
that are particularly vulnerable,”
Hochul said. “That is our
fi rst line of defense, is to fi ght
against that complacency,
which is a very natural human
reaction to people telling
you it’s going to be bad again
because you say last time it
wasn’t and I got through it, or
I can fi ght back, I can survive
a hurricane.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul, joined by Sen. Jessica Ramos and U.S. Congresswoman
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, tours several homes in the East Elmhurst
section of Queens that fl ooded from torrential rains brought on by Hurricane
Ida. Photo Kevin P. Coughlin / Offi ce of the Governor
IDA service centers
open in NYC
/ida