Desperate for Shelters: New York to turn Jail Cells into Homes

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People affected by Superstorm Sandy wait in the

cold outside an aid distribution site (John Moore/Getty

Images/AFP)

With nowhere else to go, New Yorkers displaced by Hurricane Sandy may have no choice but to sleep in jails. As hundreds of thousands remain without power, a Staten Island prison may serve as a temporary home for storm victims. ­About 100,000 homes and businesses will remain without power for the next several months, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Friday in a news conference. About 434,140 homes are currently still without power in the region that was in Hurricane Sandy’s path – mostly in New York and New Jersey. The second storm, a nor’easter that hit the region last week, brought snow and frigid temperatures to a city already devastated by the effects of the first storm.

With the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) having only provided housing to two dozen of 5,200 applicants, thousands remain without a home as the winter months approach. As many as 40,000 New Yorkers are in need of shelter from extreme weather and rapidly decreasing temperatures, the city estimates. The city is in desperate need for shelter – so desperate that even a desolate jail is being considered a possibility, the New York Post reports. The Arthur Kill Correction Facility on Staten Island may serve as a temporary home for up to 900 displaced victims of the storm. The medium-security prison was closed last December and with some fixing up, it could once again be fully functional.

“It’s empty. They might as well use it,” 39-year-old Rob Conigatti, who lost his home and is living with family, told the Post. The prison currently lacks boilers and a working wastewater system, but would be repaired, probably with generators installed, before serving as housing.

Arthur Kill Correction Facility (Image from www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com)

The problem with the emergency housing facility is the stigma associated with sleeping in a prison. Some people refuse to sleep in a jail cell because of what it once was. Some – especially senior citizens – are afraid of sleeping next to homeless people and substance abusers who are also likely to check into the free housing facilities. “I lost everything, but I still have my pride,” said 44-year-old Wally Martinez. “We don’t have to stay in a prison. My brother was once in that very prison, and my mother used to visit him regularly. She used to tell me how miserable he looked and how filthy and disgusting that prison was.”

There are currently 2,700 evacuees living in emergency city shelters. While New York City officials have not made a decision on the use of the prison, and the Staten Island Borough President is strongly opposed to it, Councilman James Oddo supports the initiative. “We have not got into the discussion of longer-term transitional housing,” he said. “If there is no other viable option, it shouldn’t be taken off the table because of a quote-unquote stigma. Between being cold and having people dry, in a warm, secure place, I know what my choice is.”

Staten Island Senator Andrew Lanza also said the prison was being considered as a possible transitional site, even though newly appointed press liaison Peter Spencer said Tuesday that the facility “is not on the table” as a temporary shelter. As lawmakers and city officials weigh the need for housing against the situation and the options, the prison could very soon undergo repairs and be turned into a place to live.

100,000 homes, business face months without power

Long-term housing facilities like the Staten Island prison may be crucial in the months ahead: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said some properties are so damaged that it will be a long time before electrical service is restored. Although power has returned to 96 percent of the region, about 100,000 customers will likely go several months without power. “You have people without power for a very long time,” he said. “It’s gotten cold. It’s uncomfortable.” Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Friday estimated that as many as 30,000 people in damaged homes will need temporary housing to survive the winter.

Most of the severely damaged homes are on Long Island’s South Shore, on Staten Island and the Rockaways district of New York City's Queens department.
“You have some people who have buildings and have homes that you cannot turn on the power until that building or home is repaired or replaced,” Cuomo said. “Those are going to be the most difficult situations." FEMA will pay for expedited repairs in damaged homes starting November 13. The Empire State Relief Fund, put together by Cuomo, will also distribute cash for rebuilding homes. But until the thousands of displaced New Yorkers are able to return to heated homes, they will be forced to find alternate housing, and those with nowhere to go may choose to spend the night in jail.

(RT)

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Arsalan Iftikhar case: Malik Riaz escaped from Pakistan

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Karachi: The ‘familygate’, which is also becoming ‘anchorgate’, is one of the most important cases in the judicial history of Pakistan. On June 6, Chief Justice Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry took a suo moto notice against his son, Arsalan Iftikhar, and Bahria Town’s Malik Riaz, after reports littered news channels that Arsalan was given up to Rs.400 million.


There are reports that when on the one hand Supreme Court summoned Malik Riaz with proofs, on the other hand he was planning to escape from Pakistan.


When on June 6, Arsalan Iftikhar appeared in court, Riaz was missing. On being asked, his staff officer told Supreme Court that he was not being contacted. Riaz was actually leaving Pakistan in that very moment. The ruling PPP and bureaucracy , according to the reports, are behind his escape to Dubai. Malik Riaz is also wanted by NAB in a corruption case of Rs65 billion.


According to Civil aviation Authority record, at 1pm on that day, a plane landed on Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, which had taken off from Lahore, a CAA official told The News Tribe. The plane was owned by Riaz, with call sign ‘Bahria town 001’. The Beechcraft B-114 landed on the airport’s Bay number 64. TNT’s Karachi correspondent reported that before the plane landed, a Bilawal House official, along with two other men, was present in the airport’s apron area. Being a protocol officer, he was not a new face for intelligence agencies.


No one came out of the plane when it landed, and when FIA Immigration Sub Inspector reached the scene, he was told that the two persons would fly abroad without either an exit stamp or filling immigration card. At first, the sub inspector showed reluctance but finally toed the line. After the process was completed, the plane took off to Dubai at 1.50pm.


One of the two persons who were sent abroad in such an ambiguous manner was Malik Riaz, said an FIA official, who declined to be named. The correspondent added that on June 8, just after five minutes President Zardari’s plane landed in Karachi, the ‘secret’ plane also touched the airport’s runway, though there was nobody inside. Now the Supreme Court is told that Riaz was abroad for ‘health’ reasons. One of the top-notch property tycoons, Malik Riaz is said to have links with  eminent media personalities.

(The News Tribe)

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Wildfires Go Out of Control in 6 USZ States, Several Towns Evacuated

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A wildfire in the United States of Zionism has raged out of control in six states, burning hundreds of square kilometers of forest land. The massive blazes have been raging out of control as hundreds of firefighters are battling to contain the fires in Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. But their efforts seem to be coming to nothing because of dry weather conditions and strong winds fanning the flames. Several small towns, including the historic Wild West mining town of Mogollon - now nearly a ghost town - were ordered to evacuate, as the spreading fire torched miles forest, brush and grass.

New Mexico is the worst hit. Officials describe the scale of the wildfires as unprecedented. They say the damage could by much larger than estimated. “We know that there was significant growth yesterday, but we don't have a hard and fast number," said Fire Information Officer Dan Ware. More than 580 firefighters and support crew have been fighting the blaze. "This is the biggest show in the country right now in terms of fire size. So a lot of resources are available to us. We're just not sure we'll be able to do a lot of flying," Ware said.

He said access to the fire had been the chief difficulty as it was burning in very steep, rugged terrain where firefighters were not able to cut through the brush and timber. “Fire activity was so extreme yesterday we had to pull crews out," he said. "We're expecting another day like that today. With such high wind levels and low humidity there's going to be big potential for some major growth."

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