Thread: What the city could be doing - and is not

Some truth about the 14th Street Substation
I'd like to believe then, but I don't...
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What the city could be doing - and is not


8.875%

That�s what the gangsters who run New York rake off the top from every transaction that takes place in the city.

And that doesn�t include fees and fines and real estate taxes and the games they play with city worker pension funds.

Not even the Mafia in its heyday had it so good, but at least the Mafia showed some concern for the people in its neighborhoods.

Today�s gangsters, Andrew Cuomo (the governor) and Michael Bloomberg (the mayor) only seem to have mastered the extraction part. And the self-glorifying grandstanding part.

And the lying part.

I�m going to go out on a limb here and I actually hope I am wrong:

There is no way Con Ed�s 14th Street Substation is going to be back online in �three days� (as promised on 10/29/12) and I doubt the most recent promise �by Friday or Saturday� is accurate either.

To get to something approximating the truth, you have to dig:

�We�ve got � whatever it is � two, four, six, eight feet of water that�s sitting there with our equipment under it�We have folks pumping water and then trying to get in. I think they may even have rowboats in there.�
- John Miksad, Con Ed�s senior vice president of electric operations

To make sure you understand this, here are the issues:

1. The 14th Street Substation is the only way electricity can get into Manhattan and into the downtown neighborhoods that currently don�t have power.

2. The substation didn�t just get doused with water, it was under water for days (and still may be under water for all we know as of today)

3. No one earth knows the condition of the equipment under all that water

4. This means no one can possibly know: a) how much needs to be repaired vs dried off and cleaned, b) what cannot be repaired (recall that there was an explosion there), and c) if they have all the parts they need on hand right now to replace what cannot be repaired.

5. The 14th Street Substation is a massive facility. It covers an entire New York City city block. Is it realistic that they are going to be able to pump it out, find all the problems and fix them by Friday? Saturday? Thanksgiving? Christmas?

Here�s what is most likely the truth:

No one knows.

They�re hoping. And until they�re forced by reality (after they�ve pumped the place out) to think otherwise, they�re going to be guided by hope.

I don�t know about you, but in circumstances like this, this is insane.

Beyond the immorality of knowingly feeding over250,000 people a line of bullshit about a serious public health and safety issue, what is the city and state doing for its citizens in downtown Manhattan?

About as close to nothing as humanly possible.

There are a few cops directing traffic at a few intersections and that appears to be it.

How about going door to door and seeing if there are people behind those doors who need help?

I guarantee there are.

Right now, as you read this, there are thousands of handicapped and frail elderly people in lower Manhattan trapped in high rises without elevator service, without water, without light, without news, and possibly without food and needed medicine.

Ever been in an apartment hallway or stairwell with the lights shut off? It�s blacker than black.

So why isn�t the city going door to door to find these people and offer them help?

Is it too hard?

Well, they did it in New Orleans. They went door to door harassing law abiding citizens to take away their guns after the levee failures in 2005. There was no shortage of enthusiasm for that government door-to-door campaign.

It is too expensive?

Give me a break. Some water. A flashlight and/or electric lantern with batteries if they need one. Some food. Toilet paper. Medications as needed. We�re talking chump change. Probably a fraction of what anyone who needs the help pays in sales taxes in just two months.

Who is going to do it?

How about the cops taking the doughnuts out of their mouths, getting out of their cars, and doing some work.

And the city�s meter maids (there are 2,000 of them.)

And the restaurant inspectors. And the legions of other people the city employees to enforce and harass and generally make life difficult for people.

Some of them, like restaurant inspectors, literally have nothing to do right now as everything south of 38th Street is closed.

This is the Convention Center at New Orleans all over again, except this time the people cut off without water, food (and heat) are isolated and don�t make for a photo op.

Andrew Cuomo and Michael Bloomberg are intelligent men. They have to know the consequences of leaving thousand of handicapped and frail elderly stranded for an indefinite period of time. They also have to know that the Con Ed story is wishful thinking at best and a con job at worst.

Is it to much to ask for them to take minute or two from their endless grandstanding and self-congratulation to look after some of the people they�ve been extracting taxes from?

Government corruption: Some truth about the 14th Street Substation I'd like to believe then, but I don't...

By Sydney Lupkin
Michael Koenigs
@mckoenigs
Richard Besser
@DrRichardBesser

Oct 31, 2012 6:40pm

Sewage, Bacteria, Gasoline Found in NYC Floodwater



Credit: ABC News

Water is everywhere in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy – in basements, on the streets and in transit systems – but the one place that flood water is most dangerous is in your body.
ABC News chief health and medical editor Dr. Richard Besser collected floodwater and drinking water in some of the areas hit hardest by Sandy and had them tested at The Ambient Group lab. The floodwater collected in Lower Manhattan tested positive for gasoline and two types of bacteria found in sewage: E. coli and coliform.
“Very dangerous,” Besser said. “Make sure you wear protective gear if you are coming into contact with flood water.”
Looking at the testing containers filled with Manhattan floodwater, Besser explained that the yellow glow indicated that coliform bacteria was present at high levels. The purple fluorescence tells us that there are sky-high levels of E. coli from sewage contamination.
Today, he went to Piermont, N.Y., an area hit so hard by the hurricane that it’s under a boil water advisory, meaning residents are instructed not to drink tap water without first boiling it or purifying it with bleach.


Click here to read Dr. Besser’s ‘Tips to Make Tap Water Safe for Drinking.



When a power outage knocked out one of Piermont’s water pumps, officials were concerned about tap water contamination. The water company tested water from a hydrant, which initially ran brown, but eventually cleared.
Besser tested the hydrant water as well, and smelt chlorine in it, which helps protect it from bacteria.
He also collected tap water from a family’s home faucet and expects to review the lab results tomorrow which will indicate whether the family’s water was contaminated. Several families in the neighborhood are already boiling their water as a precaution.

Anyone in a flood-affected area should listen for alerts. While water companies are responsible for alerting residents whether their water is unsafe to drink, city officials also alert the community.


Click here for a list of areas under boil water advisory.



New York City, for instance, the Department of Environmental protection announced today that its water is safe to drink. Water in reservoirs 125 miles north of the city continue to be monitored closely with extra testing in the wake of the storm.

If you rely on well water and were in a flooded area, you should assume your water is contaminated until it can be tested. Follow the “boil water” advisories and boil your water for a full minute before using.

SHOWS: World News


Sewage, Bacteria, Gasoline Found in NYC Floodwater - ABC News