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November 7 - November 19, 2013
Editorial pUbLIShER
Jennifer Goodstein pUbLIShER EmERITUS
John W. Sutter EDIToR
Josh Rogers nyC REConnECTS aSSoCIaTE EDIToR
Terese Loeb Kreuzer aRTS EDIToR
Scott Stiffler REpoRTERS
Sam Spokony Lincoln Anderson SR. V.p. oF SaLES & maRkETInG
Francesco Regini RETaIL aD manaGER
Colin Gregory
aCCoUnT EXECUTIVES
Allison Greaker Julius Harrison Alex Morris Rebecca Rosenthal Julio Tumbaco aRT / pRoDUCTIon DIRECToR
Troy Masters SEnIoR DESIGnER
Michael Shirey GRaphIC DESIGnERS
Arnold Rozon Chris Ortiz
Being prepared for the hurricane next time it’s HarD tO BELiEVE tHat a YEar aGO,
we were in the throes of the post-Superstorm Sandy blackout. There was no electricity or heat, many residents lacked elevator service and running water — even cold water — flushable toilets, and, just our luck, it was starting to get raw and cold. We survived, but it took a long time for things to return to normal. Things don’t just snap back like nothing happened after Avenue C is flooded waist-high and Westbeth’s basement is inundated by the Hudson River. Many merchants and restaurants still haven’t fully recovered from the financial hit they took. For our part, we unfortunately lost about 95 percent of The Villager’s archives when the surge poured into our Canal St. basement. (Luckily, New York University and the Public Library also have our old issues.) Our part of the city wasn’t physically slammed as hard by Sandy’s surge as places like Breezy Point or the Rockaways, where entire swaths of homes were obliterated by water and fire. But we were inundated in the flood zone, and the loss of electrical power was crippling and dangerous. We pulled together, as communities do. But when electricity and heat came back on around Friday night, we realized how deeply we depend on our utility services. For this part of the city, the most important thing was for Con Ed to harden its E.
14th St. plant against another abnormally large super-surge like Sandy’s. Sandy’s unexpectedly high waters had flooded the plant, and then Con Ed powered the facility down to keep from damaging it further, leaving us blacked-out south of the 30s. It’s reassuring to see — in a new video Con Ed posted on its Web site — that it has taken these steps. Important infrastructure has been raised higher off the ground, doors now have watertight seals, electrical conduit pipes have been filled with rubber sealant to waterproof them, and the complex’s walls have been raised. Another change Con Ed should consider, is making sure hospitals are on networks that don’t need to be shut down during emergencies. For example, Downtown Hospital was shut down when Con Ed powered down its E. 14th St. plant. Luckily, in the Village, New York University opened its doors to the community, letting people charge phones, use laptops, even sleep on cots in some of its buildings. But Sandy also showed the need for a Lower West Side hospital with its own generator, like St. Vincent’s. We think Mayor Bloomberg’s idea for removable storm barriers along Lower Manhattan’s edge is a good idea. These would be set up on land and basically work as a large fence against the waters. For now, it’s a much cheaper alternative to full-on
storm-surge barriers in the harbor. Great work is being done in the East Village and Lower East Side by the Longterm Recovery Group; GOLES and Two Bridges are organizing to ensure future storms don’t cripple and imperil residents of high-rise public housing and low-income housing, as in Sandy. By now, we’ve all learned how we should have “go bags” ready, just in case. We’re eager to hear more about the sustainable energy-powered WiFi-NY People’s Emergency Network that the Long-term Recovery Group is working on. During Sandy, only a few street corners had a signal — and everyone clustered there. In emergencies, communication is key. Our new understanding of flood zones is also affecting discussion about Hudson River Park, development on piers and the waterfront, and air-rights transfers from the park. Everything is being reassessed. When we interviewed Bill de Blasio before the primary election he showed an open mind on storm protection, but was more in favor of more affordable natural barriers, like wetlands and dunes. De Blasio’s a very intelligent man, and we’re confident he’ll make the right choices for the city’s protection. For now, we’re glad to see that, from Con Ed to community activists, people are doing their best to make sure, if another Sandy hits, we’ll be ready.
ConTRIbUToRS
Albert Amateau Jerry Tallmer phoToGRaphERS
Milo Hess Jefferson Siegel
Letters to the Editor tRUst BUt LaNDMaRK tRiBECa To The Editor:
pUbLIShED by nyC CommUnITy mEDIa, LLC 515 CanaL ST, UnIT 1C nEW yoRk, ny 10013 PhONE: (212) 229-1890 FaX: (212) 229-2790 WWW.DoWnToWnEXpRESS.Com NEws@DOwNtOwNEXPREss.COM Downtown Express is published every week by Community Media LLC, 515 Canal St., Unit 1C, New York, N.Y. 10013 (212) 229-1890. The entire contents of the newspaper, including advertising, are copyrighted and no part may be reproduced without the express permission of the publisher - © 2012 Community Media LLC. PubliSher’S liability for error The Publisher shall not be liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The publisher’s liability for other errors or omissions in connection with an advertisement is strictly limited to publication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue.
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Tribeca Trust is a non-profit organization in Tribeca, founded last September to promote the improvement of Tribeca’s remaining public spaces; education about Tribeca’s history; and the good stewardship of our historic districts. As of July 31, we have submitted a request to the Landmarks Preservation Commission for
expansion of the boundaries of Tribeca’s historic districts. Interested readers can look to our website, www.tribecatrust.org, to see a two-minute photo slide-show that makes a strong case for expansion. The slide show is “What Happens When You Under-designate a Historic District? The Case of Tribeca.” Readers can also see photos of all the buildings and blocks in Tribeca that currently have no protection and merit inclusion in our
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W W W. D O W N T O W N E X P R E S S . C O M
historic districts. The Landmarks Conservancy, the Historic Districts Council, and Landmarks West! have all supported this cause. We invite residents to sign up for our newsletter on the website to stay abreast of our activities and to find ways to volunteer with us. Lynn Ellsworth Chairperson, Tribeca Trust
LEttErs POLiCY Downtown Express welcomes letters to The Editor. They must include the writer’s first and last name, a phone number for confirmation purposes only, and any affiliation that relates directly to the letter’s subject matter. Letters should be less than 300 words. Downtown Express reserves the right to edit letters for space, clarity, civility or libel reasons. Letters should be emailed to letters@downtownexpress. com or can be mailed to 515 Canal St., New York, NY, 10013.