Safety - NY

submitted by Peter B. Gudaitis

nyc.gov - July 13, 2013

OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND MENTAL HYGIENE URGE NEW YORKERS TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS AND HELP THE VULNERABLE DURING HOT WEATHER THIS UPCOMING WEEK

Use air conditioning to stay cool, drink water to avoid dehydration, limit strenuous activity

More Than 400 Cooling Centers Open;
To Find the Nearest Center, Call 311 or Visit Cooling centers are open Sunday, July 14 through Thursday, July 18; to find the nearest cooling center, tomorrow call 311 or visit www.nyc.gov
or CLICK HERE - FIND A COOLING CENTER

Be sure to call and confirm the center is open before traveling in the heat. The agencies providing Cooling Center facilities are the NYC Department for the Aging, New York City Housing Authority, Brooklyn Public Library, New York Public Library and Queens Library and The Salvation Army.

noaa.gov - January 28, 2013

According to a new technical report, the effects of climate change will continue to threaten the health and vitality of U.S. coastal communities’ social, economic and natural systems. The report, Coastal Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerabilities: a technical input to the 2013 National Climate Assessment, authored by leading scientists and experts, emphasizes the need for increased coordination and planning to ensure U.S. coastal communities are resilient against the effects of climate change.

The recently-released report examines and describes climate change impacts on coastal ecosystems and human economies and communities, as well as the kinds of scientific data, planning tools and resources that coastal communities and resource managers need to help them adapt to these changes.

submitted by Gary Vroegindewey

http://uwua1-2.org/

NYC Rapid Repairs is a program to make your home safe for return. The City is working with contractors to assess damage to your home from Hurricane Sandy and make the necessary repairs so that you and your family can have safe power and heat in your home. NYC Rapid Repairs is a program for property owners in the five boroughs. If you rent your home and there are unsafe conditions, call 311.

To be eligible for this program, your home must be deemed structurally safe by the NYC Department of Buildings as denoted by a Yellow or Green placard on your door, or no placard at all. You can still sign up for NYC Rapid Repairs if there is a Red placard on your door, but additional repairs will be necessary before your home is deemed structurally safe. If you have any questions about what you need to do to transition your home from a Red to a Yellow or Green placard, call 311.

NYC Rapid Repairs (page 1 of 5 .PDF pages)
http://uwua1-2.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/CLICK-HERE-to-read-some-helpful-repairs-information.pdf

Suggested guidance for Volunteers working in Rockaway:

Indeed, hand washing frequently, not touching their eye, nose our mouth and wearing a dust mask are essential steps out of doors.   Working in an area with high level of mold is particularly dangerous and requires a higher level of respiration protection than just a simple dust mask.   Also, clothing worn inside a home contaminated with significant mold should be doffed (taken off) outside of their homes and not brought inside unless rolled up, bagged and sealed until they can be placed directly into a washing machine to avoid introducing mold spores into their own homes. Respiration protection should not be removed until thee clothes are doffed and secured.     Ideally, those working inside of mold contaminated homes should wear disposable TYVEK outer wear or overalls or something similar, gloves and eye protection that can be doffed outside and put directly into trash bags for disposal.   Then they should shower thoroughly. 

John T. Hoffman

Senior Research Fellow

National Center for Food Protection and Defense

University of Minnesota