Environment

Flash Flooding & Storm Alert Prompts Travel Advisory for Thursday, Sept. 23, Through Friday, Sept. 4

By SÍLE MOLONEY
New York City Emergency Management (EMS) has issued a travel advisory for Thursday, Sept. 23, through Friday, Sept. 24. According to the National Weather Service, rain and scattered thunderstorms are forecast citywide beginning Thursday afternoon through Friday. Light rain on Thursday morning will become steadier after 2 p.m. with a chance for scattered thunderstorms.   Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Maximum rainfall rates are forecasted to potentially reach 1 inch per hour. The greatest chance of heavy rain and thunderstorms is from 6 p.m. Thursday through 2 a.m. Friday. There is also a potential


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DOE Responds to NYC School Safety Coalition Comments following Bronx School Slashing

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  The NYC Department of Education (DOE) has responded to remarks made by a representative of the NYC Schools Safety Coalition, Mona Davids, in the wake of a face slashing which took place at Bronx Collaborative High School on Wednesday. Sept. 15, after a dispute broke out between two students.   As reported, an unidentified, 15-year-old student was slashed in the face with an unknown object on the school premises at DeWitt school campus, located in Jerome Park, while another student fled to parts unknown. EMS transported the victim to Montefiore Hospital in stable condition. Police confirmed on Tuesday, Sept.


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UPDATE: Slashing at Bronx Collaborative High School Leaves One Student Hospitalized

By SÍLE MOLONEY & DAVID GREENE
  A student from Bronx Collaborative High School was hospitalized following a slashing incident which took place at the school on Wednesday. Sept. 15, after a dispute broke out between two students. Police later confirmed on Tuesday, Sept. 21, that a 15-year-old male was arrested on Sept. 20 in relation to the incident and has been charged with assault.   In response to an inquiry sent to the NYPD on Sunday, Sept. 19, police confirmed that at approximately 1 p.m. on Sept. 15, police responded to a 911 call regarding an assault inside 100 West Mosholu Parkway South in Jerome


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Espaillat leads Effort to Eliminate Barriers to Federal Disaster Relief in Wake of Hurricane Ida

By SÍLE MOLONEY
    Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), who represents parts of the Northwest Bronx and Northern Manhattan, and Grace Meng (NY-6) who represents parts of Queens, announced that they are leading an effort to eliminate barriers to federal disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Ida.   Espaillat and Meng took the lead in writing a letter, calling on U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Chairman Peter DeFazio, who chairs the congressional committee on transportation and infrastructure, to include Espaillat’s bill, H.R. 3037 – the Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act of 2021 in upcoming emergency disaster supplemental funding.   Espaillat said


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NYS Extends Deadline for Certain Businesses & Personal Tax Filers Affected by Recent Flooding

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance announced an extension on Thursday, Sept. 16, for certain tax filing and payment deadlines for taxpayers who were adversely affected by the flooding during the week of September 2, 2021. Tax filing and payment deadlines occurring between Sept. 15, 2021 and Oct. 2, 2021 have been extended to Dec. 14, 2021 for: filing any returns, including those for personal income tax, corporate taxes, sales tax and any other taxes administered by the Tax Department; paying any tax or installment of tax, including installment payments of estimated taxes; filing any requests for


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In the Wake of Storm Ida, FEMA Warns Flood Victims to Beware of Fraud & Scams

By SÍLE MOLONEY  
Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have warned that after a disaster, scam artists, identity thieves and other criminals often attempt to take advantage of disaster survivors. Federal and state emergency management officials are urging New York residents to watch for and report any suspicious activity.   When a disaster strikes, unscrupulous people may try to take advantage of survivors by posing as official disaster-aid workers or even as relatives trying to help survivors complete their applications, officials warned.   They said common post-disaster fraud practices include the following: Fake Offers of State or Federal Aid Federal and


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FEMA & State Officials Issue Tips on How to Speed Up Disaster Assistance

By SÍLE MOLONEY  
State officials, as well as those from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), who are helping New Yorkers recover from the remnants of Hurricane Ida have shared some tips on how to speed up receipt of disaster aid, as follows: Registering online is the fastest way to access FEMA assistance. Download the FEMA app or visit disasterassistance.gov. Not only can you register here, you can check the status of your claim, upload requested documents, and access FEMA downloadable pamphlets and other aids. You can also register by telephone calling 800-621-3362. Individuals who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use


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Bronxites Pick up the Pieces & Seek Relief in the Wake of Storm Ida

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY
  The relative and literal “calm before the storm” on the afternoon and early evening of Wednesday, Sept. 1, perhaps lured many Bronxites into a fall sense of security that then-impending Storm Ida would not be as extreme as forecast. The consequences of such nonchalance proved to be devastating.   Between noon and 6 p.m., the day was overcast, humidity was at 82 percent, temperatures ranged from 68 to 72 degrees F, southwesterly winds were traveling at 11.8 mph but there was no rain. At 6.18 p.m., the National Weather Service (NWS) tweeted that tornado warnings had been issued for


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UPDATE For Police Officers and Community, the Battle Continues Over Loud Music

By DAVID GREENE
  Many Bronxites across the borough are patiently waiting for the cold weather to arrive so that those prone to carousing outside, blasting loud music from speakers, while in the parks or in cars, will gradually move indoors, and badly affected neighborhoods will return to the once peaceful communities they used to be.   For years, despite hundreds of noise complaints sent to 311 by Bronxites across the borough, meetings with elected officials, and enforcement by NYPD officers, the goal of eliminating unwanted noise, particularly over the summer months, has remained elusive. Now, however, a new law, along with new technology,


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