With Mayor de Blasio visiting the seven-alarm industrial fire site in Greenpoint that destroyed a warehouse, a group of Northern Brooklyn lawmakers including City Councilman Stephen Levin, Sen. Daniel Squadron and Assemblymembers Joe Lentol and Martin Dilan backed a neighborhood petition for the city to develop a comprehensive environmental and public health plan as a response to the fire and all future fires.
The Neighbors Allied for Good Growth (NAG) spearheaded several local organizations in launching the new petition on Change.org. Other organizations involved with the initiative include the Greenpoint Waterfront Association for Parks and Planning (GWAPP) and the Newtown Creek Alliance.
“Last weekend’s 7-alarm fire has raised serious health concerns for residents in North Brooklyn and it is crucial that the City does everything in its power to address these concerns. We are thankful for the response by the City – especially our brave firefighters who are working tirelessly – to put out the fire and protect the immediate neighborhood from grave harm, but there needs to be a more thorough, and coordinated effort to address the broader community impacts of fires of this magnitude,” said Levin. “Our communities have historically been forced to deal with significant health and environmental risks and we must ensure their health and safety in the wake of this fire, as well as those that may occur in the future.”
Luckily, no one was harmed during the fire, but we need to make sure there are no environmental or health conditions to worry about and I urge all relevant agencies to address this issue as soon as possible,” said Lentol. “I have written a letter to the commissioners of the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection requesting their support and I look forward to their assistance.”
Lentol added, “I would also add that if there are no long lasting contaminants at the site then the community would benefit from additional open space, and I would like to have that conversation in the near future.”
“New Yorkers need to have confidence that when there are major disasters, like the fire in Williamsburg, the broad impact is handled with the same urgency as the event itself” said Squadron. “I look forward to better understanding the process of public engagement in crises, and working together with NAG, the community, the City and my colleagues on improvements.”
“It no secret to people living in these communities the volume of, and proximity to, toxic and hazardous sites. Many of these plots or buildings have been included in state or federal cleanup efforts, but until they are fully remediated they remain a danger, especially in the event of a fire or similar disaster. Immediate response and notification of any impending danger to first responders and nearby communities must be a priority,” said Dilan.
The new petition to Mayor De Blasio is available online at www.change.org/
