Monday, August 29, 2011

Do Carroll Gardens and Gowanus have a viable evacuation route in case of emergency?

Do Carroll Gardens and Gowanus have a viable evacuation route in case of emergency?

CORD has been pondering this very question this weekend.
According to several startling pictures shown on the PMFA blog, the Third Street planned "evacuation route" floods easily in ANY large storm, let alone a hurricane!

This would seem to be a very dangerous way to try and evacuate thousands of people in a hurricane OR other emergency situation. With two major weather events in the past week, an the anniversary of a major terror attack around the corner, it does not seem to be unreasonable to us to imagine that one day, thousands of people might need to be evacuated from our area too.

How will residents in the hundreds or thousands leave our area safely, over a flooded Gowanus Canal and a flooded Third Street/ Bond Street intersection? Furthermore, the City is still thinking about adding thousands more residents here, adding to the problem we now have, even without them. Where is the planning in all of this?

We are hoping that our readers will begin to ponder this same question and to ask themselves: What will happen IF....???
We think most will agree it is better to be safe than sorry.
Isn't it up to us as a united community to demand answers to these vital questions regarding our own health and safety?


Sunday, August 28, 2011

How did our local Superfunded Gowanus Canal fare during Hurricane Irene?




Hello from CORD!

We at CORD have been very concerned about the impacts of Hurricane Irene last night and this morning. While the worst is now over, the Gowanus Canal was clearly flooded early this morning at 8:30 AM when a local resident took these pictures. We are very grateful the flooding was not worse as the highly contaminated brew of this water makes it a very toxic, and unwelcome guest on our streets, in our basements, and on our property. We were extremely fortunate that the strength of this hurricane was considerably lessened when it reached Brooklyn, however we might not be so lucky next time.....

We have maintained from the outset that the very real potential of a Hurricane or Tornado or Tropical Storm or Earthquake on the Gowanus Canal or in the Zone A/lower Zone B area has an especially harmful human health potential effect. Does our city completely understand these risks and will steps be taken to safeguard citizens in the next storm, we wonder?

Please send us any pictures of this area if you have them from the past 24 hours. We are saving them in a photo archive. Thank you.

CORD
E-mail: cgcord@gmail.com

ALSO Please see related stories at:

Friday, August 26, 2011

Zone A Evacuation!!

This just in from Maria Pagano at the CGNA blog:

Attention Everyone!

Senator Squadron's office just phoned with the official notice from the Mayor's Office:

ZONE A RESIDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO EVACUATE THEIR HOMES BY 5:00pm TOMORROW
(Friday, Aug. 27, 2011).

This is important!

Please circulate this information among your neighbors, family and friends in ZONE A.

Let's take care of each other! We're all in this together.

Maria

PS (Zone A is the area along the Gowanus Canal). CORD

Thursday, August 25, 2011

IMPORTANT MEETING! RE: PUBLIC SAFETY/ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION/PERMITS/LICENSES

Hello from CORD!

TO:MEMBERS OF THE PUB SAFETY/ENV PROT/PERMITS & LICENSES COMMITTEE, ALL INTERESTED PARTIES


SUBJECT: PUBLIC SAFETY/ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION/PERMITS/LICENSES

DATE: MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011

TIME: 6:30 PM

PLACE:
ST. MARY'S STAR OF THE SEA
41 FIRST STREET
(BETWEEN HOYT/BOND STS)
BROOKLYN, NY 11231


A G E N D A

- Update and presentation by representative for National Grid and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation on the development of remediation plans for the Public Place aka Citizen's manufactured gas plant site at the southeast corner of Smith and 5th Streets.

TERRY ALEXANDER, CO-CHAIR, PUBLIC SAFETY

MARTHA KENTON, CO-CHAIR, PUBLIC SAFETY

GARY REILLY, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

MARK SHAMES, PERMITS & LICENSES

CORD

CORD HISTORY:

With the "Protect Our Homes" petition, CORD was formed in May, 2007. This petition arose as an overwhelmingly negative response to the coming of the over-sized 360 Smith Street Development at the corner of Smith Street and Second Place (Aka Oliver House; aka 131 Second Place). This petition, which had well over three thousand signatures, led to a new zoning text amendment in summer of 2008.

To: Our Elected Officials, Community Leaders, The MTA:
(MAY, 2007)

We the undersigned Carroll Gardens homeowners and residents, are appalled by the "as of right" ruling which allows owners and developers to erect buildings in our neighborhood with no regard to the impact they will present to our quality of life and the value of our homes........

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?crlgrdns