Watch Video Of Roosevelt Island Emergency Preparedness Town Hall Hosted By NYC Council Member Ben Kallos And Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Esposito - Go Bags, Hurricanes, Emergency Evacuation, United Nations Week RI Bridge Traffic Disruptions & More

Last Thursday September 29, Roosevelt Island's NYC Council Member Ben Kallos, together with the NYC Office of Emergency Management, hosted an Emergency Preparedness Town Hall at the Good Shepherd Community Center Chapel.

According to the Twitterverse:

Excited to kick off the #EmergencyPreparedness event on RooseveltIsland expecting over 200 people with @RIOCny @Rooseveltisland @nycoem pic.twitter.com/nC2JiADnl8

— Ben Kallos (@BenKallos) September 29, 2016

.@nycoem is helping Roosevelt Island residents get prepared! #NPM2016 pic.twitter.com/nVe6ynPFhk

— NYCEM (@nycoem) September 29, 2016

Council Member Kallos issued this statement following the Roosevelt Island Emergency Preparedness Town Hall:

... nearly 200 Roosevelt Islanders learned how to prepare for the next storm and received free go bags, so they will be ready when the time comes. The event was hosted by Council Member Ben Kallos, Office of Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Esposito, Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT), Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation Acting President Susan Rosenthal and Roosevelt Island Public Safety Director Jack McManus. On the eve of National PrepareAthon! Day, residents came to learn emergency preparedness skills so they will be ready as climate change leads to more unpredictable weather conditions in and around New York City.

Since 2014 Council Member Kallos has funded the Roosevelt Island CERT with $8,000 for new, up-to-date, modern two way radios designed to be operational in the event the island suffers an emergency and the CERT is activated.

“Every New Yorker should be trained to handle emergencies and own a Go Bag,” said Council Member Ben Kallos. “Always be prepared, especially if you live in an area that is prone to flooding. You never know when a natural disaster may force you to evacuate.”

“NYC Emergency Management works tirelessly to ensure that New Yorkers are educated about emergency preparedness,” said NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Esposito. “We’re happy to partner with Council Member Kallos to provide an important opportunity for Roosevelt Island residents to receive information on NYCEM’s programs and community-based initiatives, as well as how best to prepare themselves to respond to emergencies.”

“We are grateful to Council Member Kallos for making the security of Roosevelt Island residents a priority. RIOC is always looking for ways to increase security efforts, such as with the recent improvements to the emergency response time of the 911 Call Center. That crucial update, taking into account the unique nature of our Island, was the direct result of all stakeholders working together. Now, with respect to emergency preparedness, RIOC looks forward to working with OEM to ensure the health and safety of our Roosevelt Island Community.” Said Susan Rosenthal Acting President of Roosevelt Island Operating Cooperation.

September is National Preparedness Month culminating with “National PrepareAthon! Day” on September 30, the inspiration for the evening’s training ahead of Atlantic hurricane season. The event included the distribution of free Go Bags — a collection of items you can use in the event of an evacuation. Each household member should have a Go Bag, which should be sturdy, lightweight, and portable, such as a backpack.

The Go Bags that were distributed contained:

First aid kit;
Flash light with batteries;
Radio with batteries;
Whistle;
Poncho and emergency blanket;
Dust mask;
Pen, paper and magnifying lens;
Sanitary products including wipes, tissue, soap, comb, as well as tooth brush and paste; and,

Must be supplemented by residents who should add:

Copies of important documents in a waterproof container;
Extra sets of car and house keys;
Copies of credit and ATM card and cash;
Bottled water and nonperishable food;
List of medications and dosages household members take, or copes of all prescription slips with doctors’ name and numbers;
Child care, pet care and other special items;
Contact and meeting place information for your household, and a small regional map.

Here's video of the Town Hall provided by Council Member Kallos. In addition to information regarding emergency preparation and Go Bags, issues discussed included Roosevelt Island emergency evacuation plans (29 minute 30 Second Mark) and the annual Roosevelt Island Bridge traffic disruptions (3 minute 25 second mark of second video) during United Nations week. Watch both videos. They contain very informative  and important information that can help keep you and your family safe when an emergency occurs..

Report From RIRA President Ellen Polivy - Roosevelt Island Hurricane Preparedness And New Evacuation Zone Locations

Click here for the new NYC Hurricane Evacuation Map.

Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Ellen Polivy sends the following Report To The Community:

Our new evacuation zones:

RIRA was pleased to join with City Councilmember Jessica Lappin and RIOC to bring you the presentation on August 27 by OEM about Roosevelt Island’s new evacuation zones. Public Safety Director John McManus joined two presenters from OEM for part of the presentation.

Roosevelt Island has now become two upgraded evacuation zones. Under certain circumstances we might be more likely to be asked to clear out in advance of an expected bad weather event.

If Hurricane Sandy were to happen under our new zones, our entire Island would have been advised to evacuate. The categories of hurricanes are not aligned to the evacuation zones categories. Storms are evaluated individually by projecting when and where they are likely to hit land. With that in mind, the Mayor decides with OEM’s advice , which areas to call for evacuation. Since we are now more likely to need to evacuate in advance of mega storms or hurricanes, we should take the longstanding advice to be prepared. Preparation starts with having a plan, creating a go-bag (and supplies to “shelter-in-place”) , knowing where to go, and how to get there.

The OEM presenters Christina Farrell and Roosevelt Island resident Rachel Sulaymanov gave useful information. They emphasized that we will be given ample warning to leave the Island in case an evacuation was called. We would be notified about 2-3 days in advance to give us ample opportunity to temporarily relocate to our families and friends who live outside of the evacuation zones, or to one of the recommended shelters.

Disabled people should call 311 to get transportation. OEM contracts with hundreds of companies to respond to any calls for assistance in evacuation. During Hurricane Sandy, they had hundreds of companies ready to help disabled people leave for shelters. But very few were actually used. The speakers emphasized the usefulness of that transportation system for disabled and other special needs like elderly, small children, pets etc.

Depending on the number of people being urged to evacuate, OEM might open additional shelters. They explained that hurricane related evacuations do not happen in the middle of stormy weather, but usually on a nice day two to three days beforehand. We are urged to notify our neighbors who might not have heard the news and to take care of each other. Their description of the shelters sounded a bit like going to camp for a few days. Families are kept together and you can go with your pet. Pets will be well cared for at the shelter in the pet area. People who don’t like pets are not forced to be with them.

You can find out lots of information online by searching for keywords such as “hurricane maps NYC”, “ReadyNYC”, "hurricane guide” or “evacuation centers” or “NYC go-bag”. Most of these searches will bring you to the huge database of information at the NYC OEM website.

Register at “Notify NYC” (nyc.gov/notifynyc) for free notifications about emergencies like severe weather, school closures and subway disruptions. You can have the messages sent by text message, email or Twitter.

Our shelters

Our closest shelters are two schools on either side of the East River. In Manhattan our shelter is Julia Richman School at 317 E 67 Street in Manhattan. The other is the Newcomers High School at 28-01 41 Avenue in Long Island City.

The Roosevelt Island Evacuation plan is under update by the RIOC Public Safety Director McManus and he sees "no reason" why it should not be made public after it is updated. This plan will inform us on how the island population would evacuate in a sudden need when there is not the usual two to three days of time or if the standard means of transportation do are not working or if the bridges are closed. We will keep in touch with Director McManus about this topic. We expect that there will be another community forum when the plans have been updated.

Why not just tough it out at home?

Hurricanes don’t just cause floods and wreckage and occasional loss of life. They sometimes cause temporary loss of basic services such as electricity, phones, gas and water and sewage, making homes unlivable. Those who try to live in their homes after evacuation orders are called put added stress on systems that need to be repaired. Leaving for a shelter gives the repair people time to restore the services without the extra load.

Those who decide to stay home after evacuation orders have been given risk more than just themselves. If the storm turns worse than expected, teams of first responders must then risk their lives trying to evacuate the stranded.

You can find the presentation online at

http://rooseveltislander.blogspot.com/2013/08/mandatory-evacuation-of-roosevelt.html .

Report From RIRA President Ellen Polivy - Roosevelt Island Evacuation Zone, CERT Training, Cornell NYC Tech EDC Lease Agreement And Common Council Resumes Next Month

Click here for the new NYC Hurricane Evacuation Map.

Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Ellen Polivy sends the following Report To The Community:

OEM to speak about Roosevelt Island's new evacuation zones:

Thanks to the efforts of City Council member, Jessica Lappin, On Tuesday August 27, Office of Emergency Management will be holding a meeting on Roosevelt Island to tell us about our new evacuation zone. It appears that Roosevelt Island is now split between two evacuation zones. The new zones have more refinement in determining which zones to evacuate during any given emergency. On August 27, we will learn more about this. Meeting will take place from 6:30 to 7:45 at the Manhattan Park Theater Club. Our Government Relations Committee is considering inviting candidates to talk to the community after the OEM presentation. Taking advantage of an existing crowd for a relatively short but important meeting, anyone who would like to remain will have the chance to hear the candidates who choose to come. If we can pull it off, we will let you know.

CERT class forming now:

Hurricane season is soon upon us. Super Storm Sandy occurred last October. In anticipation for any possible emergencies on the Island, the Roosevelt Island CERT team is attempting to increase its membership. CERT, the acronym for Community Emergency Response Team reaches out to neighbors and teaches people to prepare for emergencies, builds community resilience by helping people respond appropriately during the emergency and helps in recovery. CERT has proved to be effective at helping first responders in emergency situations providing triage and backup assistance to allow the first responders to be more effective.

I am happy to report that RIRA's efforts to request a CERT class on Roosevelt Island has paid off. The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) has generously agreed to hold its ten week training class on the Island providing we have a large enough enrollment. The Roosevelt Islander Blog call-out for CERT class applicants has been very effective. The Roosevelt Island class is almost filled. OEM has assured me that they will find a place for anyone who wants to take the class this fall. We need all interested people to get involved.

The volunteers on CERT are an elite group, having been trained in 10 weekly sessions on everything from fire safety to subway evacuation to protocols for mass disaster response. Please sign up to be a CERT trainee. When the course is completed you will have the status of being able to represent CERT in helping your community and the city prepare and respond to emergencies. The main expectation of CERT members is to help their immediate community. However, members are also offered opportunities to take additional courses, take part in FDNY disaster drills, are deployed to help in real disasters around the City and assist in many Citywide events. The work CERT does is respected and needed. One year we were invited to Gracie Mansion for a thank you cocktail party and photos with Mayor Mike.

The CERT Class will be held on Tuesdays from Sept 24 to Dec 3 from 6:30-9:30 on Roosevelt Island. To get an application, stop by Public Safety or email our CERT Chief at rooseveltislandCERT@gmail.com.

Busy summer:

We still have another month, so please don't feel like I am rushing the summer when I say that the RIRA Common Council starts up again on Wednesday, September 11 at 8pm. I too, relish the last four weeks of summer even though my workload does not seem to have let up like I had hoped. Among my summer community volunteer activities were RIRA committees, RICC itemizing the gains and losses from our year long discussion with Cornell, the Community Board vote on the final lease for Cornell and back to organizing a CERT team training on the Island and an OEM presentation on our new evacuation status.

RIRA Common Council resumes:

At our next RIRA council meeting, We hope to have our new RIOC President Charlene Indelicato meet the Common Council. We will have also have presentations by Korean Association about their proposed gazebo in Southpoint Park and Island Shakespeare Theater Company about their ideas for space. Both groups are asking for RIRA support.

Importance of RIRA:

This brings me to the question; how does RIRA's support for the important work of Island groups help each organization and the community as a whole?

First, RIRA acts like a think tank- A group may be very insular because they are composed of people with similar interests and inclinations. By exposing their proposal to a wider breath of thoughts and relatively disinterested parties throughout the community, the group is forced to accurately assess their appeal and perhaps amend their plan to achieve broader acceptance.

Second, RIRA acts as a vetting organization. Since we discuss and evaluate proposals brought before us, we are providing the community's seal of approval. A group's proposal may be tempered by broader public discussion and then accepted. This deliberative quality is why RIRA has gained the respect of RIOC, elected officials, governmental organizations and funding sources as the voice of the community. A group vetted by RIRA is thought to understand the broader community needs and wants and is serving a real need.

Committee membership:

In the Fall, there will be lots of room on committees for all who want to join. Remember, all Island residents are RIRA members and all can join committees. Check out our new website riraonline.com which is in its formative stages as the committee chairs learn how to post onto it .

Roosevelt Island Community Coalition

We want to thank Cornell and Jessica Lappin during the Land use process. With the help of Cornell’s connections and collaborative work with Jessica Lappin, we were able to get access to many organizations to discuss Island issues.

RICC is an example of how the community has pulled together- Not just residents but also other stakeholders, the business, organizations, schools, not for profits as well as the residents to make our needs known to Cornell and the elected officials and governmental organizations during the land use review of Cornell. We hope to continue to ensure our Island is treated fairly and respectfully during construction.

Here is the RICC official statement about Cornell’s land lease approval.

The lease between Cornell NYC Tech and the City of New York was, unsurprisingly, adopted by New York City's Borough Board on July 18th.

The cup is half full; the cup is half empty.

RICC was pleased at certain inclusions in the lease -- notably Cornell's agreement to barge some construction materials in order to reduce the number of trucks on Main Street. RICC believes, however, that the barging agreement, lacking the element of an onsite cement plant, is at best a partial solution and will still bring too many trucks to Main Street, especially cement trucks. Moreover, the agreement --as are most agreements throughout the lease -- is worded in a vague, nonspecific manner that defies accountability. This will be a constant concern in near and distant future.

On the positive side, RICC and its community members were responsible for identifying and urging the inclusion of many of the community commitments that appear in the lease. (Actually, they are appended to the lease.) These commitments include "adopting" PS/IS217 by providing a variety of programs and services; mentoring for post high school young adults; computer training for seniors and adaptive computer technology for disabled residents; an environmental learning center for children (in the lease it became worded as outdoor space for children); meeting space for community groups; and the creation of a construction committee (to include RICC) for communication and oversight during the development process. RICC will do its utmost to help see to it that these and other Cornell commitments are ultimately fulfilled. Cornell is in the process of “operationalizing” the commitments to the community. RICC member organizations will be giving advice to Cornell in their goal of bringing their agreements to life.

Another positive note is that RIOC, led by Board President Charlene Indelicato, is involved in private discussions with Cornell and the City and will remain involved.

Now that the lease has been adopted, and the handshakes are over, RICC hopes that City agencies and officials will seriously consider providing financial assistance to Roosevelt Island as our community confronts the crucial years ahead.

New York City Updates Hurricane Evacuation Zones - Roosevelt island Divided In Two Separate Zones For Octagon Building/Coler Hospital And Rest Of Island

As reported following Hurricane Sandy last October:

... perhaps all of Roosevelt Island should not be in the Category B evacuation zone but that portions of Roosevelt island, including the area around the Octagon and Coler Hospital should be Category A....

The new NYC Hurricane Evacuation maps place Roosevelt Island in separate zones.

NEW: We updated our evacuation maps based on post-Sandy data. Know your zone: http://t.co/vCoW3HkwTA
— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) June 18, 2013

All of Roosevelt Island had previously been in the same evacuation zone but the updated NYC hurricane evacuation plan has Roosevelt Island in two separate zones. Coler Hospital and the Octagon Building are in Zone 2 and the rest of Roosevelt Island is in Zone 3.

Click here for the NYC Hurricane Evacuation Map.

According to these excerpts of Press Release from Mayor Bloomberg's office:

Deputy Mayor for Operations Cas Holloway and Office of Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph F. Bruno today announced final updates to the City's hurricane evacuation zones. The new Zones, 1 through 6, which will replace Zones A, B and C, now include an additional 600,000 New Yorkers not included within the boundaries of the former zones. The new zone system - first announced in the City's Hurricane Sandy After-Action report last month - was developed using the latest Sea, Lake, and Overland Surges from Hurricane storm surge inundation maps generated by the National Weather Service and processed by United States Army Corps of Engineers. The zones are based on coastal flood risk resulting from storm surge - the "dome" of ocean water propelled by the winds and low barometric pressure of a hurricane; the geography of the city's low-lying neighborhoods; and the accessibility of these neighborhoods by bridge and roads....

... The new Zones 1 through 6 include an additional 600,000 New Yorkers not included within the boundaries of the former zones. The increased number of zones will provide the City with more flexibility in targeting areas to evacuate in advance of a predicted storm. The chart below provides the cumulative estimated population of each new zone. The new hurricane evacuation zones are not directly correlated to the previous A, B, and C zones, and a numbering system was selected for the 2013 evacuation zones instead of the previously used lettering system to avoid confusion.

2013 Hurricane Evacuation Zone Population

Estimated population (2010 Census)

Zone 1 370,000

Zone 1+2 620,000

Zone 1+2+3 1,020,000

Zone 1+2+3+4 1,470,000

Zone 1+2+3+4+5 2,230,000

Zone 1+2+3+4+5+6 2,990,000...

... In the City's history, a mandatory evacuation has been issued only twice, during Hurricane Irene in 2011 and Hurricane Sandy in October 2012.

New evacuation zones now include:

• The residences of 37 percent of New Yorkers;
• An additional 600,000 New Yorkers;
• An additional 26 New York City Housing Authority developments, now totaling 175;
• Four additional hospitals, bringing the total from 21 to 25; and
• Nine additional nursing homes, bringing the total from 60 to 69.

Roosevelt Island Lighthouse Park Underwater from Hurricane Sandy via Beauty & A Beat Tweet

More on Roosevelt Island Hurricane Sandy damage from previous post.