Meng visits homes of Hurricane Ida Victims
U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) yesterday visited the homes of the Hurricane Ida victims in Queens, commemorating the 1-year anniversary of the storm making landfall in New York City.
The homes she visited included the Lama family in Woodside, Yue Lian Chen in Elmhurst, Darlene Hsu in Forest Hills and the home of Hong Sheng Leng in Flushing.
The congresswoman attended a press conference hosted by Governor Hochul where she highlighted some of the efforts she has led in the last year, to further protect constituents from similar extreme weather events in the future. The congresswoman also highlighted additional work that still needs to be addressed to prevent similar loss of life during future storms and hurricanes.
“One year ago, Hurricane Ida made landfall in New York. In its wake the storm left residents across the city with billions in damage. Queens was one of the hardest hit boroughs and my district tragically lost six constituents. The aftermath of the storm will be felt in our community for years to come,” said Meng. “But in the year since the destruction of Hurricane Ida we have made numerous steps to make sure that Queens residents and the rest of the city don’t suffer the same fate as last year. I have worked on the federal level, in conjunction with my state colleagues and alongside local officials to get Queens and New York City residents the funds and assistance they needed immediately after the storm and in the months since. While we have done a lot to help the community return to its prosperous state before the storm, there is still much more to be done. I look forward to continuing my fight on the federal level to make sure Queens and the rest of the city has everything it needs to protect itself against the next major storm.”
In the immediate aftermath of the storm the congresswoman helped launch a Disaster Recovery Center to provide essential daily resources for residents. Also securing over $11 billion in disaster relief for the city from the federal government.
CM Hudson to rally for groundbreaking older adult legislative package
City Council Member Crystal Hudson (D-Brooklyn) along with other members of the City Council Committee on Aging and older adult advocacy organizations next week will rally in support of a legislative package aimed at making New York City a place where all older adults can age in the city they call home with dignity.
The package includes legislation to entitle any person 60 years of age of over facing eviction or termination of tenancy in housing court to free legal representation, require the Department for the Aging (DFTA) to provide financial assistance to older adults to pay for rental arrears if they are ineligible for other programs, allocate 10 percent of units in all city-funded housing developments to be universally accessible, mandate that DFTA create a know your rights pamphlet for older adults, and ensure DFTA works with older adult centers to expand offerings to include culturally competent programming.
The rally is held in advance of an Aging Committee hearing at which many of the aforementioned bills will be heard.
The rally is slated for 9 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 7 on the steps of City Hall in Lower Manhattan.
Clarke rallies to highlight humanitarian crises in Pakistan
Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (D-Brooklyn) today will join with her fellow elected officials and community leaders for a press conference to highlight ongoing humanitarian efforts in Northern Pakistan.
The South Asian country has suffered devastating flooding from severe monsoon rains that have left more than 30 percent of Pakistan underwater, more than 1,000 dead and displacing more than 33 million people with 500,000 homes destroyed.
Clarke will also discuss the United States response to the crisis.
The press conference is slated for 10 a.m., today, Sept. 2 at Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street in Downtown Brooklyn.
