NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — More than a dozen New Yorkers were killed by the flood waters from the remnants of Ida, and many of those deaths were in basement apartments.
Now, there’s renewed scrutiny over their safety.
Flood waters gushed into basement apartments throughout the city this week. Many lost personal belongings, and some lost their lives.
“We need to make sure that the affordable housing is resilient and safe and protected, and often times, it’s not,” said Brendan Cheney, director of policy at the New York Housing Conference.
Cheney says the housing crisis played a role in what happened.
“Fifty-one percent of very low-income renters are paying more than half of their income on rent, which is a really big housing crisis, and people are forced to sometimes live in unsafe conditions,” he told CBS2’s Kevin Rincon.
IDA’S IMPACT:
- More Than 3 Dozen People Killed When Flood Waters Sweep Tri-State; De Blasio Announces New Storm Evacuation Plan
- Gov. Murphy Tours Ida Aftermath In New Jersey, Promises $10M For Businesses Dealing With Flooding
- Cars Strewn Along Side Of Roads As Flood Waters Recede, Hundreds Of People Rescued
- Complete Coverage
“People look for places to live that they can afford, and unfortunately, we’re not really creating a lot of them here in New York,” said Moses Gates, vice president for housing and neighborhood at the Regional Plan Association.
Gates says they’ve tried for years to bring these illegal units up to code to help provide more affordable options.
“Nobody wants people to live in unsafe conditions. I think we all know we have a housing crisis, but it’s an issue of prioritization,” Gates said.
A majority of the storm-related deaths happened in Queens in basement units, and despite the tragedies, they’re here to stay.
“I don’t think it’s realistic to say ‘Let’s just have no one live in them’ because I don’t know where all those folks are going to end up who need a place to live,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
“Basement apartments are not going away. They are here to stay. It is the city’s responsibility to ensure that they’re safe,” said Annetta Seecharran, executive director of Chhaya.
Seecharran says that requires time, money and being made a priority.
IDA RESOURCES: How To Report Damage, Find Shelter, Food, Mental Health Support & More
“Many of the people who were impacted by this storm are exactly the same people who were most impacted by the COVID pandemic,” she said.
To try to help, New York Attorney General Letitia James is calling on the city to provide special emergency housing vouchers to help those who live in illegal basement apartments, saying, “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.”
The mayor estimates there are 50,000 illegal basement units, although he acknowledges that number could be much higher.
CBS2’s Kevin Rincon contributed to this report.
from CBS New York https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2021/09/03/nyc-basement-apartment-safety-flooding-deaths-ida/
via gqrds
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.