Report From RIOC President Leslie Torres - Roosevelt Island After Hurricane Irene Update, Main Street Retail Survey, Sportspark Young Adult Program & Upcoming Events
Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) President Lesie Torres sends the following report to Roosevelt Island residents.
Hurricane Irene has come and gone and while thankfully no one on Roosevelt Island was injured, there was some damage and flooding around the Island that we are in the process of addressing.A version of the RIOC President's column also appears on RIOC's web site and the 9/10/11 issue of the Main Street WIRE.
Before I provide a brief update on the preparations and procedures that were taken before, during and after the hurricane, I would like to thank my staff for their tireless work during this emergency. The fact that transportation, Island facilities and utilities were minimally effected and that these key infrastructures were up and running shortly after the hurricane passed through, is a testament to their tireless efforts.
Following Governor Cuomo's declaration of a State of Emergency on Friday, August 25th, RIOC implemented our Incident Command System (ICS) and opened up an incident command post at the 591 conference room, as defined in our Emergency Management Plan. RIOC senior management and staff were on site to manage the Island operations and to monitor the progress of the hurricane throughout the entire weekend.
To communicate with Island residents, RIOC used social media, RIOC's website, RIOC's information hotline, flyers, email alerts and the monitors on the Tram and Red Buses to provide the Roosevelt Island community with information on service disruptions and closures, information provided by the Mayor's Office, and advisories on safety procedures and emergency preparedness. At 3:30pm on Friday, August 26th, the Mayor declared a mandatory evacuation of all Zone A residents in New York facilitated by the Office of Emergency Management (OEM). Thankfully, Roosevelt Island is within Zone B, and residents were not required to evacuate.
At 12:00pm on Saturday, August 27th, the MTA suspended all public transportation services. We, on the other hand, were able to provide Island residents with public transportation via the Tram and Red Buses for many hours following the MTA shut-down. The Roosevelt Island Tram had continuous service until 6:00pmthat day and Red Buses operated until 8:00pm so that residents could get where they needed to before the worst of the hurricane hit. Our Tram and Bus staff remained on site throughout the entire weekend so that service could be restored as quickly as possible.
RIOC Parks and Recreation Department closed all Roosevelt Island Parks and canceled all activities in Sportpark as of 2:00pm on Saturday.
I often think of us as a small town in the big city, and the spirit of this proved true when The Child School stepped up to offer its gymnasium as a potential evacuation center. The gym has a capacity of 300 people and food, water, telephones and internet access were made available. I’d like to thank RIOC Board Member Sal Ferrera, President of the Child School, for his offer to Island residents.
Thankfully the hurricane was not as strong as was predicted when it hit the New York City area. On Sunday, August 28th, Tramway system testing and Red Bus clearance began at 1:30pm and by 2:00pm, limited service had been restored. Service was fully restored at 6:00am the following morning.
Unfortunately, not all parts of the Island fared well. Lighthouse Park took a particularly hard hit, with 23 trees down, damage to the seawall and flooding at various locations. Fortunately, however, Southpoint Park or the FDR Memorial did not experience any damage. Moreover, through the concerted efforts of the entire RIOC staff, we were able to open Lighthouse Park in time for the Labor Day weekend.
I want to note that while Roosevelt Island did not have anyone injured as a result of the hurricane, we did have some people who ignored our safety protocols by venturing into closed off areas. It is important for residents or visitors to heed to the warnings that we put out to the community. Not only do you put yourself at risk, you also risk the safety of those that respond to your aid.
While I believe we did a good job, and certainly that is the feedback we received from many of you, I think this gives us a unique opportunity to discuss our emergency action plans in order to make necessary improvements. Over the next few weeks, we will be reviewing our preparations and procedures to ensure the safety of the Roosevelt Island community and to maintain Island operations during an emergency.
Summer, as always, went by too fast. I wish all our Island kids a successful school year and wish everyone headed back to work, an easy transition.
COMING UP...
Retail Survey for the Main Street Commercial Corridor
Hudson-Related is currently conducting a retail survey for the Main Street Commercial Corridor. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey. The feedback is invaluable to the planning of Main Street. Surveys are available on-line and at the RIOC Main office. Also, please be on the look-out for a community meeting on Main Street.
Events
We have several events coming up:
9/11 Memorial Ceremony, Sunday September 11th at 6:45pm Good Shepherd Plaza
Fall for Arts Festival, Saturday, October 1st, 11am- 4pm Southpoint Park
Outdoor Production of Seven Against Thebes and Oedipus Rex 2pm, October 1st and 2nd at the Roosevelt Landing Amphitheater
Halloween Day Parade Saturday, October 29th
Young Adult Program at Sportspark
Beginning on Friday, September 9th, we are trying a new program that will provide recreational activities for young adults. The Sportspark Young Adult Recreation program involves extending the hours of the Sportspark gymnasium every Friday and Saturday from 9:00pm to 12:00am in order to offer constructive activities to Roosevelt Island young adults on weekend nights.
Anyone interested in the program will be required to register and take a photo ID. You will then receive an ID card that will allow you access into the facility. There will be several activities available including free access to the basketball courts, the ping pong room, exercise equipment, Netflix movies, computers with internet access and the Wii gaming system. Public Safety officers will be on hand to patrol the facility during the hours of operation to assure the safety of participants.
The program will run for six weeks after which RIOC will assess participation levels and determine whether or not to continue the program.
Outstanding IT Service and Support Award
Congratulations to GovindBedasie, RIOC’s Senior LAN Administrator, who will be a recipient of the "Outstanding IT Service and Support Award" at the Best of New York Ceremony this month, at the GTC East Conference in Albany. The purpose of this award is to recognize a staff person who has distinguished themselves by exemplary service and support throughout the year. I'd like to take this the opportunity to congratulate Govind and the entire IT Department, under the leadership of Michael Moreo, for raising RIOC’s IT standards to a level worthy of recognition by our State Agency Peers.
Here's a Video of RIOC Post Hurricane Briefing from Vice President of Operations Fernando Martinez. and more pictures from Mr. Adib of Roosevelt Island after Hurricane Irene.
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