Good Morning, Brooklyn: Friday, September 3, 2021

September 3, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Share this:

GODSQUAD WORKS TO KEEP BROOKLYN SAFE THIS WEEKEND: Even though this year’s J’ouvert and West Indian Day Parades are canceled due to COVID-19’S Delta variant precautions, GodSquad/the 67^th Precinct Clergy Council is making preparations for public safety, as they expect that some groups will still want to hold multiple large parties and activities. The GodSquad and dedicated community partners have coordinated efforts with the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice and law enforcement to create a peaceful and safe experience for all community members during the holiday weekend.

Activities will include a 6 p.m. Prayer at Flatbush Avenue and Empire Boulevard on Sunday, September 5, the presence of a GodSquad Tent stationed at 7:45 p.m., and a walk-through from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. Labor Day (Monday) morning, from Nostrand and Church avenues, toward E. 51st St., and which will cover side streets.

✰✰✰

‘OVERHAUL SUBWAY SYSTEM’: In the aftermath of the past 24 hours’ massive flooding to New York’s underground transit system, Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to overhaul the subway system to be better equipped for extreme weather as it becomes more common, she said on Spectrum New York 1 News #MorningsOn1. Gov. Hochul also declared a state of emergency in response to record-breaking flooding as a result of Tropical Depression Ida.

According to an Eyewitness News (ABC, Channel 7) report, the restoration was beginning with the lettered lines, and acting MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber expressed hope that service would be mostly back to normal by the end of today.

✰✰✰

VEHICLE RELOCATIONS: The NYPD advises that, due to flooding conditions from Wednesday’s storm, multiple vehicles have been relocated from city streets and highways. Those looking for their vehicles are instructed to contact @nyc311 to find out if and where they have been relocated.

The handle @nyc311 also has a website counterpart: https://portal.311.nyc.gov/

✰✰✰

GOVERNOR SIGNS NEW EVICTION MORATORIUM: A new moratorium on COVID-related residential and commercial evictions for New York State was signed into law this morning, Thursday, Sept. 2. Under the new moratorium that Governor Kathy Hochul signed in the early hours and after convening an emergency session of the state legislatures, all protections of the Tenant Safe Harbor Act for residential tenants who are suffering financial hardship as a result of the pandemic will remain in effect until Jan. 15, 2022, along with new protections on commercial evictions.

As of Aug. 31, more than $1.2 billion in funding has either been obligated or distributed through ERAP, including more than $300 million in direct payments to more than 23,000 landlords.

✰✰✰

‘STATE OF EMERGENCY’ CONTINUES: Saying that “New York remains under a State of Emergency for Downstate counties affected by the remnants of Ida,” Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday visited areas impacted by the storm and directed additional state agency assets to New York City and nearby regions to help communities recover after the hurricane’s remnants delivered historic rainfall totals, sparking flash floods, power outages and life-threatening conditions in several areas.

Rainfall rates of up to three inches per hour, the highest ever recorded by the NYS Mesonet (weather station network) flooded roadways and trapped people in vehicles and homes, resulting in some deaths. LaGuardia Airport reported more than six inches of rainfall.

✰✰✰

ASBESTOS INVESTIGATORS INDICTED: Four Certified Asbestos Investigators have been indicted for repeatedly filing false asbestos inspection reports, putting the health and safety of workers and New York City residents at risk. A joint investigation conducted by the Office of the Attorney General and the Department of Investigation found that over several years, the defendants — who were independent contractors certified by the New York state Department of Labor and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) —submitted fraudulent reports for inspections that took place on days when they were out of the state and country.

These charges are at the point of only accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

✰✰✰

AMTRAK EMPIRE SERVICE SUSPENDED Brooklynites needing to travel to parts of the state between the NYC and Albany are advised that all Amtrak Empire service is suspended on Friday, September 3, according to Notify NYC and the Amtrak website.

Commuters needing to travel the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington, DC on Friday and the Labor Day weekend can download the Amtrak app, receive texts via: Amtrak.com/DelayAlerts or follow on Twitter via @AmtrakNEC and @AmtrakAlerts on Friday to determine if service has been restored on one’s route.

✰✰✰

START ACT REINTRODUCED: U.S. Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (NY-9) has reintroduced the Smart Technologies for Accessible and Resilient Transportation (START) Act, which, if it becomes law, would renew and expand the Obama Administration’s Smart Cities Challenge The START Act reinvigorates federal efforts around Smart City and community transportation projects that will benefit communities of all sizes, by reducing transportation costs, traffic congestion, air pollution, energy use, and carbon emissions, while simultaneously enhancing transportation access, equity, efficiency, resilience, safety, security, and sustainability.

The START Act would establish a federal Smart Community Resource Center to serve as a database and clearinghouse on Smart City transportation efforts and share information on guides and resources that are readily available to the public.

✰✰✰

CALLS ON BIDEN TO DECLARE EMERGENCY POST-IDA: U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) and local elected officials and residents impacted by tropical storm Ida urging President Biden to issue an emergency declaration under the Stafford Act and to unlock the Individuals and Household Programs so homeowners can apply for direct assistance. The officials also outlined immediate steps that residents should take to address damages caused by the storm.

As of press time on Thursday, President Biden’s most recent emergency declaration approval was given on Aug. 22 in the aftermath of Hurricane Henri. Ida was the next consecutive storm to hit New York.

✰✰✰

Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Justin Donovan, from Brooklyn, New York, stands lookout watch aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS O’Kane (DDG 77).
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Elisha Smith

NAVAL OFFICER FROM GERRITSEN BEACH: Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Justin Donovan, who is originally from Brooklyn’s Gerritsen Beach neighborhood, is currently serving in the U.S. Navy, across the globe in the South China Sea, aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS O’Kane (DDG 77). As a boatswain’s mate, Donovan is responsible for maintaining the ship’s exterior, including the deck and all attached equipment, and when called upon, to supervise or participate in damage control operations under combat conditions. Donovan writes of his boyhood neighborhood, between Sheepshead Bay and Marine Park, “I loved growing up in Brooklyn and especially in Gerritsen Beach…a small community where everyone knows each other and looks out for one another. I am also a firefighter at the Gerritsen Beach volunteer Fire Department.”

He fondly remembers the “Gerritsen Beach Games” which featured a car show; playing sports; and a favorite restaurant, Roll N Roaster, in Sheepshead Bay. “Best spot to go for a nice Roast Beef sandwich with cheese!”