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Battery Park City Evacuated

BATTERY PARK CITY EVACUATED

Battery Park City Evacuated
Battery Park City Evacuated

All Battery Park City residents should be evacuated, meeting the mandatory restrictions placed by the Mayor Bloomberg for today at 5pm.

Neighboring Hudson River cities including Hoboken and Jersey City have followed suit, having respective mandatory evacuations in place for those who reside in the low lying areas.

It was further revealed that mandatory evacuations for Zone A are due to utility ConEd’s decision to shut off underground power lines to protect from salt water flooding and utility companies cutting off steam lines to prevent explosions – on top of flooding concerns.

More information has been released citywide:

• NYC Tunnels: Will close on a case-by-case basis depending on flooding conditions. No plans to preemptively close any of the city’s tunnels.

• Port Authority: Has closed its five airports — John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, Stewart International, LaGuardia and Teterboro airports — to all arriving passenger international and domestic flights. The five airports will remain open for departing flights pending further updates. The Port Authority is taking this measure to avoid stranding passengers at its airports when the region’s mass transit systems suspend service tomorrow due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Irene.

• Flights Canceled: More than nine thousand flights canceled. Closed to International Flights: The Port Authority will close John F. Kennedy International Airport to incoming international flights beginning at noon tomorrow

• Evacuation Centers and Emergency Shelters: Now open for those who need shelter

• Tolls Suspended: Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced he will suspend some fares and tolls to help ease the evacuation of low-lying areas

• Airline Cancellations: More than 9-thousand flights have been canceled at New York area airports

• Baseball: The Mets announced on Friday that their afternoon contests against the Braves on Saturday and Sunday have been rescheduled as a single-admission doubleheader to be played at 4:10 p.m. on Sept. 8

• Broadway Cancels: The show will not go on on Broadway. All 23 Broadway musical and plays have been canceled for the weekend.

• Public Transportation: The governor says New York City’s public transit has been halted

• New York City Mayor’s Office: All City beaches remain closed

• Hospital Patient Transfers: Health care facilities located in what is identified as Hurricane Evacuation Zone A are being required to transfer their patients to facilities located outside this zone. Beth Israel Petrie, Roosevelt and St. Luke’s are all beginning to receive transfer patients from NYU Friday afternoon.

• Bridges: Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said that a half dozen bridges — including the George Washington Bridge, the Robert F. Kennedy Triboro Bridge, the Throgs Neck Bridge and the Whitestone Bridge — would be closed if winds reached 60 mph for more than a short time

• New York City Evacuation Zones State Level Emergency Responders: Agencies and local governments around the state will meet today to plan coordinated response efforts, such as emergency operations support and field staff deployments to areas that are expected to be hit the hardest

• The Governor: Encouraged New Yorkers to check in with neighbors, especially the elderly or disabled, who might need assistance to ensure that their needs are met if emergency instructions are issued

• 26 Tower Cranes: Tower cranes located in the city (13 of those at the World Trade Center construction site) do not disassemble quickly and may not be able to be taken down in time for the storm. They are only built to withstand winds of 65 mph or less.

• Underground Bunker: The state’s Office of Emergency Management has increased staffing in its underground bunker

What Will Happen to Battery Park CIty in a Hurricane?

What Happens to Battery Park City in a Hurricane?

What Will Happen to Battery Park CIty in a Hurricane?
What Will Happen to Battery Park CIty in a Hurricane?

The Mayor has called for the first time ever, a MANDATORY evacuation for Battery Park City, which is one of the low lying areas in New York City. What does this mean for us? Why are these warnings so important?

• Battery Park City is not more than 5 feet above sea level. The full moon, high tide and hurricane can bring sea/storm surge up to 8 feet.

• Flooding is expected in our area and should the hurricane and water cause damage or major flooding — Emergency Services Vehicles would have trouble reaching our neighborhood.

• Trees and park area can be uprooted by the hurricane’s impact.

• World Trade Center construction also causes a challenge, as workers are securing cranes, equipment and construction elements that might be lifted by elevated winds.

• MTA plans a citywide shutdown of services by 12pm tomorrow Saturday, August 27th – paralyzing our ability to leave the neighborhood.

• Most stores and businesses in our area are also part of the mandatory evacuation order.

• According to the Mayor, taping windows is not necessary and futile to protect windows. Best safety protocol is mandatory evacuation of our neighborhood.

• All area events, including Governor’s Island and Major Sporting Events have been cancelled — nothing to stay for this weekend – bolsters reason to evacuate sooner than later.

• Those who are not evacuated by 5pm, Saturday August 27th will be subject to city fines.

MANDATORY EVACUATION INFORMATION FOR BATTERY PARK CITY

MANDATORY EVACUATION: IMPORTANT INFO

MANDATORY EVACUATION INFORMATION FOR BATTERY PARK CITY
MANDATORY EVACUATION INFORMATION FOR BATTERY PARK CITY

The Mayor has called a mandatory evacuation of Battery Park City:

1. Evacuation of the neighborhood is mandatory by Saturday, August 27th by 5PM.

2. MTA Public Transportation will be suspended by Saturday, August 27th by Noon.

According to NYC.Gov

Evacuation Centers
In the event of an evacuation order, the City strongly recommends evacuees stay with friends or family outside evacuation zone boundaries. However, for those who have no alternative shelter, the City has identified hurricane shelters throughout the five boroughs.

To ensure the most efficient use of resources and to make necessary parking available, the City will ask all evacuees seeking public shelter to report to an evacuation center. These centers are located in all boroughs, are easily reached via public transportation. Some centers provide parking facilities.

Each evacuation center is associated with several hurricane shelters in what is known as its “solar system.” There are currently 65 such systems in the City, each of which can accommodate an average of 10,000 people.

Evacuation centers help ensure the number of people in each is roughly the same, eliminating potential overcrowding or underuse of particular facilities. At the evacuation center, evacuees will be assigned to a particular evacuation shelter and be transported by bus or van.

To find out the location of your nearest evacuation center, use OEM’s Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder to locate your evacuation zone, and the system will direct you to the proper facility. During an emergency, you can also obtain this information by calling 311.

Hurricane Shelters

Hurricane shelters provide basic needs for those with no other place to go. Shelters are selected based upon the safety of their location (outside of Category 4 hurricane inundation areas) and proximity to evacuation centers.

Certainly, service animals that assist people with disabilities are allowed in hurricane shelters. Ideally, you should arrange to shelter other pets at a kennel or with friends or relatives outside the evacuation area. Legal pets with proper identification will be admitted into shelters with their owners. Owners should bring cleaning and food supplies with them, as well as containers and leashes.
Learn more about emergency preparedness for pets

Officials will notify evacuees when and if it is safe to return to their homes. Since hurricanes are highly destructive, residents may not be able to return home for weeks.

MANDATORY EVACUATION FOR ZONE A: BATTERY PARK CITY

MANDATORY EVACUATION FOR BATTERY PARK CITY

MANDATORY EVACUATION FOR ZONE A: BATTERY PARK CITY
MANDATORY EVACUATION FOR ZONE A: BATTERY PARK CITY

MANDATORY EVACUATIONS ORDERED FOR BATTERY PARK CITY.

At a press conference Friday, Mayor Bloomberg ordered a mandatory evacuation for all residents living in low-lying Zone A, including our area, Battery Park City.
According to the Mayor, “Nature is a force more powerful than any of us,” the Mayor said, “and it really is better to be safe than sorry.”

“We’ve never done a mandatary evacuation before, and we wouldn’t do it now if we didn’t think the storm had the potential to be very serious.”

The storms hurricane path is expected to travel faster than initially expected. This is the first time the city has ever called a mandatory evacuation in New York City history.

NYC.gov was overloaded and shutdown Friday morning as three times average volume in traffic hit the site. The website received 4.3 million hits, shattering the previous record of 2.2 million on January 26th.

The mayor urged New Yorkers to stay indoors from Saturday 9pm to Sunday 9pm to avoid injury from falling glass, tree limbs and blowing debris.

Baruch College is an Evacuation Shelter Zone

LIST OF EVACUATION SHELTERS

Baruch College is an Evacuation Shelter Zone
Baruch College is an Evacuation Shelter Zone

A MANDATORY EVACUATION IS ORDERED FOR ALL OF BATTERY PARK CITY BY 5PM, SATURDAY, AUGUST 27TH.

For those with nowhere to go, the city has shelters across Manhattan which will be opening at 4 p.m. Friday. Those shelters are located at

  • Seward Park High School at 350 Grand Street
  • Baruch College, East 23rd & Lexington
  • High School of Graphic Communication Arts, 49th between 9th & 10th
  • John Jay College, 59th & 10th
  • Hunter College, Park Avenue & 68th Street
  • Brandeis High School, 84th between Amsterdam and Columbus
  • IS 118, 105th Street & Manhattan Avenue
  • PS 171, 103rd between Fifth & Madison
  • IS 88, Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. & Frederick Douglass Blvd.
  • Bread and Roses High School, Edgecombe Avenue & 136th Street
  • City College, Amsterdam Ave. & 138th Street
  • IS 90, Jumel Place and 168th Street
  • George Washington High School, 193rd Street between Amsterdam and Audobon Avenues

Battery Park City Getting Popular with Developers, Families

Battery Park City Esplanade (Credit: saitowitz/Flickr)

It looks like the “best kept secret” of Battery Park City is becoming less of a secret each day. Judging by this story in the NYPost about the recent real estate activity, it looks like the area if about to get even hotter.

According to the article, One Rector Park has started closings, Liberty Green and Liberty Luxe are renting out units and Centurion Real Estate Partners have “sold about 75 percent of the remaining 76 units.” Popular eatery Shake Shack has already moved into the area, and more restaurants are moving into the area throughout the summer and into the fall.

The vibe of the area, as well as a resurgence in the visits to lower Manhattan, seem to be major factors in the resurgence. Zak Pelaccio, the owner of popular Fatty Crab and Fatty ’Cue food stops, is expanding into the area with three locations. Says Pelaccio, “The parks are so nice, and you have the water.” Harvanit Gahunia and her husband, Rohit Kumar discovered the area on their bikes. “We came down in the evenings,” said Gahunia, “There would be families on the lawns and people biking and walking. I didn’t even realize that there was a part of New York like this.”

Are you seeing signs of growth in your part of Battery Park City?

Battery Park City to be inundated with tourbus congestion.

Tour Buses to Pay Meters in Lower Manhattan

Battery Park City to be inundated with tourbus congestion.
Do we need more tour bus congestion in Battery Park City? (Courtesy: quiteallright.blogspot.com)

NY1 reports that tour buses will now be expected to pay parking meters in Lower Manhattan, since the September 11th memorial is expected to attract around five million visitors annually. The influx of visitors will be brought downtown by charter buses, which lead to air pollution, noise pollution from idling vehicles and loads of traffic congestion! While tourists and visitors are encouraged to take mass transit to the region, there will still be lots and lots of buses converging on the area.

“The real issue with the tour buses is one of pollution, it’s one of traffic congestion, it’s one affecting the residents and the small businesses down here,” said Julie Menin, chairwoman of Community Board 1.

Buses will be allowed to drop passengers off and pick them up at Trinity Place and Church Street bus stops during off-peak hours. The buses can wait at already existing bus layover zones or at newly created ones. Drivers will be expected to feed muni meters, which might cause bus fare to rise, as well. The price buses will have to pay has yet to be determined.

To minimize traffic overflow, 1,500 visitors will be allowed into the memorial per hour.

Do you think this parking meter plan will work?

Regal Cinema Battery Park Noted For 9 Sanitary Violations

The theaters in Battery Park City weren't empty of germs. (Photo: Flickr @smaku)

Ick! Fox 5 NY conducted an investigation of Manhattan movie theaters, taking spot samples from arm rests and concession stands and testing them. You might want to think twice about taking in a flick at the Regal Cinema near Battery Park, since the location had a total of nine sanitary violation points.

One of their key violations? Not keeping food at the required temperature. Maybe you should skip that bucket of popcorn next time you go to this theater. Additionally, a sample taken from the theater’s condiment counter revealed a “gross contamination.”

“This is a pure culture of E. coli ,”the Fox 5 NY inspector said, pointing to a Petri dish from the counter top. “There could be any kind of virus there.” The countertop was inspected solely for bacteria, so other contaminants could very well be lurking.

Jewel Gallagher, a Regal spokesperson, e-mailed the following statement to Fox 5 NY: “The cleanliness of our theatres is a high priority for Regal as we seek to provide a safe and enjoyable environment. On our most recent health department report, Regal Battery Park received an ‘A’ grade from the NYC Department of Health’s rigorous inspections and evaluations. We appreciate any information that Fox 5 can provide us regarding your evaluation, so that we can address any concerns. Rest assured that we take any comments from guests or health officials seriously.”

Does this news make you think twice about seeing a movie at the Regal Cinema?

Battery Park City Annual Pet Parade

Still No Off-Leash Dogs in Battery Park

Battery Park City Annual Pet Parade
Dog Owners Request for Off-Leash Trial Period Denied (Credit: BPC Dogs)

The cold weather is rolling in, but don’t expect your dog to work up a sweat running free in Battery Park. Off-leash dogs can still net you a hefty fine.

Last friday Manhattan Parks Commissioner Bill Castro denied a request for an off-leash trial in Battery Park. According to reports from DNAinfo, Castro said “more discussions were needed,” which will no doubt  take place in December when the parties are scheduled to meet again. The Tribeca Trib has also reported that the installation of a dog run was offered as a compromise to the off-leash dilemma.

In was July when we reported that parks officals began handing out tickets for off-leash dogs, enforcing a law that had otherwise been forgotten (or ignored). Local dog owners were expectedly upset at this sudden enforcement; the fine for an off-leash dog can be $100. Since this summer, dog owners have banded together, collecting over 800 signatures in support of an off-leash area for pets to run free.

Do you think a dog run is an acceptable compromise?

Feisal Shahzad the Times Square Bomber

World Financial Center Was Second Target for Times Square Bomber

Feisal Shahzad the Times Square Bomber
Feisal Shahzad admits in federal court he considered bombing Ground Zero.

Feisal Shahzad the dubbed “Times Square Bomber” apparently had his targets set on both the World Financial Center and Ground Zero according to federal court documents released today.

However, after analyzing foot traffic patterns, Shahzad decided that an attack on Times Square would cause more damage. Although not his initial target, admitted several other NYC locations would be secondary targets including our neighborhood.

According to the federal court documents, “during the late afternoon of May 1, 2010, Shahzad drove his car, which was packed with the bomb he had built, from his residence in Connecticut to Times Square and parked the car on 45th Street near Seventh Avenue. He then attempted to initiate the bomb detonation process inside the car by lighting a fuse, and after doing so, he got out of the car, armed with the semi-automatic rifle that he had brought with him, and walked to Grand Central terminal. While walking to Grand Central terminal, he listened for the sound of the bomb exploding. Two days later, he was arrested at John F. Kennedy
International Airport while trying to the leave the United States on a commercial flight.”

Shahzad will receive a mandatory life  sentence next week for his bomb attempt in Times Square on May 1. He has since plead guilty for the bomb attempt.