Trying to stay warm in NYC? There’s a map for that

January 25, 2013 Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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It’s freezing out there, and that can be dangerous, especially for kids, the elderly and sick people. So the city is providing warming centers within senior centers throughout the five boroughs to give folks a place to get out of the cold during the day

While a list of warming centers can be found on the city’s website, picturing the one closest to you can be a little confusing. In Brooklyn, there are roughly 80 warming centers on the city’s list, all in different Zip codes and with different hours.

Now Cesar R. Bustamante, Jr., a data visualizer and student at CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, has come to the rescue by designing an interactive map showing all of the city’s warming sites. With one look, you can see which centers are in your neighborhood, and you simply have to click on a dot to learn the center’s location and hours.

For example, by clicking on a center located in Brooklyn Heights, we discovered that the St. Charles Jubilee Center on Pierrepont Street was closed on Monday for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, but is open from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday – Friday otherwise.

Bustamante describes himself as a multimedia journalist with a special interest in data-visualization and video storytelling. “I’m kind of a geek,” he writes on his site. He’s also visualized mass-shooting data and city high school progress reports.

City Heat Rules

Between October 1st and May 31st, building owners in New York City are required to provide tenants with heat between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. if the outside temperature falls below 55 degrees. The inside temperature is required to be at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit during these hours.

At night (between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.), if the temperature outside falls below 40 degrees, the inside temperature is required to be at least 55 degrees.

Tenants who are cold should first attempt to notify the building owner or superintendent. If heat is not restored, call 311. (For the hearing impaired, the TTY number is 212-504-4115.) You may also file a complaint at www.nyc.gov/apps/311/ for heat and hot water conditions.