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Good evening AWS Partners,
The Advance Warning System (AWS) disseminates information to New Yorkers with disabilities and others with access and functional needs through their service providers. Please share the important information below with your clients and other agencies or individuals to empower them to make informed decisions.
As temperatures continue to drop to dangerously cold levels with life-threatening wind chills through the weekend, Mayor de Blasio is urging New Yorkers to limit time outdoors, report heat and hot water conditions to 311, and check in on vulnerable friends, relatives and neighbors. The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Chill Advisory in effect from 4:00 PM Saturday through noon on Sunday for expected wind chills as low as 20 to 25 degrees below zero.
"We are expecting extremely cold temperatures tonight and throughout the weekend. These are not temperatures we see often and New Yorkers should take this weather very seriously," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "Extremely cold weather can be life threatening - especially for seniors, infants and people with medical conditions. We are urging residents to stay inside as much as possible, take care of yourselves and your neighbors, and wear multiple layers of warm clothing when outside."
"Over the next few days, we're expecting life-threatening temperatures colder than any we have experienced this season," said NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Esposito. "We want every New Yorker to take these bitter cold temperatures seriously - stay indoors, and if you have to go out, bundle up. Remember to keep your pets safe, and check in on your family, neighbors, the elderly or others with increased health risks to make sure they are protected from the extreme cold."
People most likely to be exposed to dangerous cold include those who lack shelter, work outdoors and/or live in homes with malfunctioning or inadequate heat. Seniors, infants, people with chronic cardiovascular or lung conditions, people using alcohol or drugs, and people with cognitive impairments (like dementia, serious mental illness or developmental disability) are at increased risk. New York City continues to closely monitor the extreme cold.
Agency Actions to Prepare for and Respond to Cold Weather Conditions
DHS
� DHS has enhanced Code Blue Outreach, with teams increasing the frequency of outreach to homeless individuals.
A Code Blue Weather Emergency notice is issued when the weather drops to 32 degrees or below. No one seeking shelter in New York City will be denied. Anyone who sees a homeless individual or family out in the cold should call 311 immediately and an outreach team will be dispatched to assist them. Code Blue Weather Emergencies includes the following options for the homeless:
� Shelters: During a Code Blue, homeless adults can access any shelter location for single individuals. Beds are available system-wide to accommodate anyone brought in by outreach teams or walk-ins.
� Drop-in centers: All drop-in centers are open 24 hours a day when Code Blue procedures are in effect, taking in as many as people as possible for the duration of inclement weather. Drop-in staff also can make arrangements for homeless individuals at other citywide facilities.
� Safe havens and stabilization beds: Chronically homeless individuals may be transported to these low-threshold housing options, where they may go directly from the street to a bed.
NYCHA
� NYCHA is closely monitoring nearly 2,000 boilers, including 21 mobile boiler plants at Sandy-impacted sites.
� Mobile boilers have been pre-treated and winterized to help prevent against freeze damage and outages.
� There will be 24 hour watch teams monitoring mobile boilers through the weekend.
� NYCHA has been reaching out to vulnerable populations at Sandy-impacted developments by phone and encouraging them to sign up for Notify NYC, the City's free emergency notification system.
� NYCHA performed inspections of boiler rooms earlier this week to identify any equipment or maintenance issues to be addressed ahead of the cold weather front.
� More than 100 heating technicians, plumbers, electricians, and welders - in addition to outside vendors - will be working or on stand-by each day as part of rapid response teams to manage emergency outages now through Monday night.
� Contractors are on stand-by to respond to emergencies that may arise as a result of the extreme temperatures.
NYPD
� Increasing homeless outreach units (police officers who come into contact with an individual will evaluate the patient, assess the situation and determine whether patient needs to be taken to the hospital {ER}).
DFTA
� Amplified NYCEM's extreme cold message to clients and is advising clients to stay home during extreme cold.
DOHMH
� Providing surveillance for reports of cold weather-related illness and carbon monoxide incidents.
FDNY
� Will deploy fire units/trucks citywide to inspect and thaw frozen hydrants.
DSNY
� Fleet of 579 salt spreaders loaded and ready for deployment should icing conditions occur on streets in any of the five boroughs.
DOB
� Issued a notice to contractors to secure properties and cranes ahead of the extreme cold temperatures and the potential for high winds Saturday and Sunday.
NYC Emergency Management
� Activated the City's Winter Weather Emergency Plan.
� Convened the City's Winter Weather Steering Committee to coordinate City agency preparedness and response actions to the cold weather.
� Continues to remain in constant communication with the National Weather Service to monitor the extreme cold weather and update City agencies on expected conditions.
� Continues to update the public on the extreme cold temperatures through Notify NYC, the City's official source for information, as well as through social media channels and via the web.
� Continues to provide updates to critical service providers through the Advance Warning System, which disseminates emergency information and updates to more than 1,400 local nonprofits and organizations that work with people with disabilities and access and functional needs.
What to Do if You Lose Heat or Hot Water at Home
Building owners are legally required to provide heat and hot water to their tenants. Hot water must be provided 365 days per year at a constant minimum temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat must be provided during the "Heat Season", between October 1st and May 31st under the following conditions:
� Between the hours of 6:00 AM and 10:00 PM, if the outside temperature falls below 55 degrees, the inside temperature is required to be at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
� Between the hours of 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM, if the outside temperature falls below 40 degrees, the inside temperature is required to be at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
Any New York City tenant without adequate heat or hot water should first speak with the building owner, manager, or superintendent. If the problem is not corrected, tenants should call 311 or file a complaint at 311ONLINE for heat and hot water conditions.
The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) will take measures to ensure that the building owner is complying with the law. This may include contacting the building's owner and/or sending an inspector to verify the complaint and issue a violation directing the owner to restore heat and hot water if appropriate. If the owner fails to comply and does not restore service, HPD may initiate repairs through its Emergency Repair Program and bill the landlord for the cost of the work. HPD may also initiate legal action against properties that are issued heat violations, and owners who incur multiple heat violations are subject to litigation seeking maximum litigation penalties and to continued scrutiny on heat and other code deficiencies.
HPD has added an additional 50 staff from its Office of Enforcement and Neighborhood Services (ENS) in response to the extreme cold forecast this weekend. This staffing is in addition to the approximately 100 already working.
Take measures to trap existing warm air and safely stay warm until heat returns, including:
� Insulate your home as much as possible. Hang blankets over windows and doorways and stay in a well-insulated room while the heat is out.
� Dress warmly. Wear hats, scarves, gloves, and layered clothing.
� If you have a well-maintained working fireplace and use it for heat and light, be sure to keep the damper open for ventilation. Never use a fireplace without a screen.
� If the cold persists and your heat is not restored call family, neighbors, or friends to see if you can stay with them.
� Do not use your oven or fuel-burning space heaters to heat your home. These can release carbon monoxide, a deadly gas that you cannot see or smell.
� Open your faucets to a steady drip so pipes do not freeze.
If You Need Emergency Heating Assistance
The Human Resources Administration (HRA) administers the federal Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), which can help low-income renters and homeowners with heating bills and other energy expenses. HEAP can help with:
� Regular heating bills from a variety of heat sources (even if heat is included in your rent or you live in subsidized housing).
� Emergency payments to keep you from losing your heat.
� Replacing damaged furnaces, boilers and heating units.
Eligibility for HEAP is based on your household income, family size and energy costs. If you are homebound and need help with your heating bills, you can call the NYC Heat Line at 212-331-3150 to arrange a home visit. For more information, call 311.
Fire and Carbon Monoxide Safety Tips
� Never heat your home with a gas stove or oven, charcoal barbecue grill, or kerosene, propane, generator or oil-burning heaters.
� Electric space heaters are the only kind of space heaters legal in New York City and should turn off automatically when tipped over. They should be kept far from water and combustible and flammable objects.
� Carbon monoxide comes from the burning of fuel. Therefore, make sure all fuel-burning devices such as furnaces, boilers, hot water heaters, and clothes dryers are properly vented to the outdoors and operating properly. If you are not sure, contact a professional to inspect and make necessary repairs.
� Make sure you have a working carbon monoxide detector. Most homes and residential buildings in New York City are required by law to have carbon monoxide detectors installed near all sleeping areas. Owners are responsible for installing approved carbon monoxide detectors. Occupants are responsible for keeping and maintaining the carbon monoxide detectors in good repair.
� If you have a working fireplace keep chimneys clean and clear of debris.
� The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are non-specific and include headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, sleepiness, trouble breathing, and loss of consciousness. Severe poisonings may result in permanent injury or death.
� If you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning, call 911, get the victim to fresh air immediately, and open windows.
More Information
For more safety tips view NYC Emergency Management's public service video announcement or visit NYC.gov/EmergencyManagement. New Yorkers are also encouraged to sign up for Notify NYC, the City's free emergency notification system. Through Notify NYC, New Yorkers can receive phone calls, text messages, and/or emails alerts about traffic and transit disruptions and other emergencies. To sign up for Notify NYC, call 311, for Video Relay Service, or TTY: (212-504-4115) visit NYC.gov/notifynyc, or follow @NotifyNYC on Twitter.
For more information about keeping Pets safe during the winter please see this information from the ASPCA.
NYC Emergency Management Human Services Unit:
Human Services email distribution list: humanservicesesflist@oem.nyc.gov
Cynthia Barton
Housing Recovery Program Manager
Cell: 917-468-2768
cbarton@oem.nyc.gov
Jonas Ballreich
Human Services Specialist
Cell: 347-374 1058
jballreich@oem.nyc.gov
Matthew Puvogel
DAFN Communications Accessibility Outreach Coordinator
Cell: 347-971-2311
mpuvogel@oem.nyc.gov
Chris Shim
DAFN Shelter Accessibility Coordinator
Cell: 646-628-7687
cshim@oem.nyc.gov