2010 FBI Report Released/ADL studies

Intimidation…vandalism…assault…rape…murder. These are crimes by anyone’s definition. But add an element of bias against the victims—because of their race or religion, for example—and these traditional crimes become hate crimes. And based on data from the FBI’s  Hate Crime Statistics report for 2010, the 6,628 hate crime incidents reported to us by our law enforcement partners stayed consistent with the 6,604 incidents reported in 2009.

The ADL Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents cataloged 1,239 examples of assaults, vandalism and harrassment in 2010. Its 2011 Survey of American Attitudes Toward Jews in America found that anti-Semitic attitudes are rising in the US.

FEMA wants everyone to know about the upcoming, nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS) test on Wednesday, November 9th at 2PM.All broadcast stations are scheduled to participate. Although the EAS is frequently used by State and local governments to send weather alerts and other emergency information, there has never been a national activation of the system. The purpose of the November 9, 2011 test is to assess the readiness and effectiveness of the current system.

Click here for more information from FEMA. Please share this message with your communities and through your social networks.

The National Weather Service predicts 1-1.5 inches of rain will fall today with winds from 15-20 mph, accompanied by gusts to 30 mph along the coast. Stronger wind is expected Thursday as the system exits the area.

The New York City Office of Emergency Management notes that there is a risk that Sukkoth may be compromised.  Individuals and organizations to take the needed steps to secure outdoor objects, including Sukkoth that could blow away and cause damage or injury.

FEMA and NY State offer various grants and loans for victims of Irene. Damages and repairs not covered by insurance may be eligible for grants or loans through FEMA. If your insurance carrier has denied your claim or the settlement does not adequately cover your costs, we advise you to register before October 31st. If you are not registered by that date FEMA won’t be able to help.

Individuals, homeowners, renters and small businesses. To learn about the process, including links and phone numbers, click on the link to read the JCRC overview and instructions for individuals, homeowners, renters and small businesses here. Applicants must register by October 31st.

Not-for-profits. Not-for profits may access SBA loans, but there is a separate program for certain not-for-profit organizations with an October 28th deadline. Click on this link to view the JCRC not-for-profit overview and instructions.

Q&A. A new resource, Commonly Asked Questions About Disaster Aid, was just published by FEMA. See it here.

Disaster Recovery Centers, Online and phone contacts. As time passes, FEMA is closing Disaster Recovery Centers. Check online for the latest list of open centers and their hours here. You can also register online at disasterassistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362.

For weeks counterterrorism officials have spoken of the possibility of a terrorist incident coinciding with 9/11. Tonight, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, Matt Chandler, called the threat “specific, credible, but unconfirmed.” Another official said American intelligence agencies were urgently pursuing leads overseas in an effort to gauge the seriousness of the threat.

Our sources have speculated about the nature of the threat, but there is no information that  Jewish communal institutions will be targeted. However, the overlap of the 9/11 anniversary events with Sabbath services lead us to suggest heightened vigilance throughout the weekend. 

For specific security suggestions:

• view our High Holiday Security Webinar at:  https://connect.hsin.gov/p34055704/
• Download the High Holiday Security Thinkplate®: 2011
• Visit JCRC-NY’s Security Resources website at: www.jcrcyny.org/securityresources and subscribe to JCRC-NY’s Security Blog at:www.jcrcny.org/securityblog.
• “Emergency Planning: Disaster and Crisis Response Systems for Jewish Organizations” published by Jewish Federations of North America, written by John Jay College of Criminal Justice and JCRC-NY
• JCRC-NY Emergency and Security Planning for the High Holidays (PDF) The High Holidays are a special challenge for synagogues. Find tips for security and emergency planning here.
• “Tips on detecting hostile surveillance” (PDF) Paul DeMatties, Senior Advisor on Corporate Security Programs and Director of the Counter-Terrorism Assessment Program, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
• JCRC-NY’s Sample Building Access Policies and Procedures (PDF) Learn how to balance the goals of having your institution be both welcoming and secure.
• “Access control considerations during high holiday services” (PDF) Dov Horwitz, Security Specialist, JCRC-NY
• ADL Security for the High Holy Days and Other Special Events (PDF)

Paul DeMatteis is the Senior Advisor on Corporate Security Programs and the Director of the Vulnerability Assessment Program at John Jay College of Criminal Justice here in New York. Paul has supervised over 300 Terrorism Vulnerability Assessments of Jewish organizations. He is a professional’s professional.

Mordecai Dzikansky retired from the NYPD. He spent five years as the NYPD liaison with the Israel National Police and Security forces, bringing Israeli counterterrorism tactics to NYC. He is the author of “Terrorist Cop” and the co-author of “Terrorist Suicide Bombings: Attack Interdiction, Mitigation, and Response”, which will be released in October.

As expected, the President agreed to Gov. Cuomo’s request and has designated areas in New York to receive disaster aid. The Presidential declaration is in two parts:

1. Individuals. Those living in Albany, Delaware, Dutchess, Essex, Greene, Schenectady, Schoharie, and Ulster counties can qualify for assistance that can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured or underinsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
2. Government and some nonprofits. Some nonprofits in Albany, Bronx, Clinton, Delaware, Dutchess, Essex, Greene, Montgomery, Nassau, New York, Queens, Rensselaer, Richmond, Rockland, Schoharie, Suffolk, Ulster, Warren, and Westchester counties can receive partial reimbursement for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by Hurricane Irene.

Please look at the list of counties carefully.If your county is not listed, don’t give up hope. Sometimes the disaster declaration is expanded. As we receive more information we’ll send it out.

The federal assistance is for the reimbursement of covered and documented expenses. You don’t have to wait to begin your repairs, just keep a careful record of your outlays (e.g.,  staff time, contractors, equipment, etc.).

If you think that you, your business or your organization are eligible, begin applying for assistance tomorrow by registering online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362).   

See the FEMA release after the jump.

Release Date: August 31, 2011
Release Number: HQ-11-165
» More Information on New York Hurricane Irene

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal aid has been made available to the State of New York to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by Hurricane Irene beginning on August 26, 2011, and continuing.

The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Albany, Delaware, Dutchess, Essex, Greene, Schenectady, Schoharie, and Ulster counties.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured or underinsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Federal funding also is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by Hurricane Irene in Albany, Bronx, Clinton, Delaware, Dutchess, Essex, Greene, Montgomery, Nassau, New York, Queens, Rensselaer, Richmond, Rockland, Schoharie, Suffolk, Ulster, Warren, and Westchester counties.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

Philip E. Parr has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area. Parr said that damage surveys are continuing in other areas, and additional counties may be designated for assistance after the assessments are fully completed.

Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance tomorrow by registering online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362).   

Disaster assistance applicants, who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362.  The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.

Evacuation

• Because Irene is now bearing down on us at a faster speed, we are issuing a mandatory evacuation order for New Yorkers who live in the low-lying Zone “A” coastal areas in all five boroughs that are at greatest risk of damage related to Irene, including all parts of the Rockaways.
• City Health Commissioner Tom Farley will be working with senior homes and nursing homes, and the two hospitals in the Zone “B” part of the Rockaways to try to find alternative sites for their residents. 
• Nevertheless for people who live in private homes, we want you to leave the Rockaways due to its exposure to the ocean and the potential that emergency services may not be provided due to the closing of bridges.
• People should be out of these areas by 5 pm Saturday. In a storm with wind and very high tides there are risks that endanger public safety. I cannot stress it enough. Please: Nature is a force more powerful than us. Better to be safe and sorry.
• The low-lying coastal areas that may be endangered by a storm surge include:Coney Island and Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn…. Far Rockaway and Broad Channel in Queens… South Beach, Midland Beach, and other low-lying areas on Staten Island… Battery Park City in Manhattan… and some small sections of the Bronx.
• We’ve never done a mandatory evacuation before – and we wouldn’t be doing this now if we didn’t think this was serious.

MTA shutdown

• In addition, MTA service, including subways, buses, and railroads, will begin to shut down at noon tomorrow.
• Depending on the effect of the storm MTA service may not be restored in time for rush hour Monday morning.

Shelter

• As of 4 pm today we are opening 91 emergency facilities. They’re a combination of evacuation centers and emergency shelters. They’re being staffed by City employees, some on a volunteer basis. We have the capacity to expand that system greatly if needed.
• Yesterday we issued an executive order yesterday afternoon directing all hospitals, nursing homes, and senior homes in our low-lying coastal areas to evacuate their patients today and directed them to complete this process by 8 p.m. 
• There are five hospitals in this zone. All of them – Coney Island Hospital, both campuses of Staten Island University Hospital, the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Manhattan, and NYU Medical Center on Manhattan’s East Side – are evacuating their patients to other hospitals. 
• Yesterday’s Executive Order also covered eight nursing homes, one psychiatric facility, and eight adult care facilities. All of them are evacuating as well.

Storm details

• The National Weather Service has put the entire New York metropolitan area under a hurricane watch – which means that sustained winds of 74 miles per hour or more are forecast – for Saturday evening through Sunday.
• The current forecast is that Irene will reach the New York metropolitan area as a Category One storm. The ground speed of the storm has accelerated; gale forces winds of 40 miles per hour will reach us by 9 pm Saturday. 
• We don’t yet know where the full brunt of the storm will be felt. But in any case, Irene is going to hit New York City with very high winds and heavy rains Saturday night and all through Sunday. It’s going to be a very dangerous storm, especially in low-lying areas of the city.

NYC.GOV

• NYC.gov is currently experiencing more than three times its average volume of traffic, which has made access to the site problematic for some.Yesterday, nyc.gov had 4.3 million hits – shattering the previous high of 2.2 million on January 26th. To alleviate this pressure, we began adding additional servers yesterday and are also off-loading some traffic to external commercial servers. 
• NYC.gov is back up and running, but if you are unable to access the site at any time over the weekend, you can receive updates via Twitter from @nycmayorsoffice and @notifynyc. 
• But if you can’t get through using nyc.gov, call 311.

General safety tips

From 9 pm tomorrow until 9 pm Sunday, New Yorkers should take the following precautions:

• First stay indoors.
• Second, avoid being near glass windows. There’s a risk of flying debris shattering windows, and that risk increases if you’re in a high-rise, on the 10th floor or higher. For your own safety, stay in rooms with no or few windows, and close the doors to room.
• If you live in an apartment on the 10th floor or above, consider asking to stay in an apartment on a lower floor, as the risk of a window blowing out are greater on higher floors. 
• And don’t stand or congregate in a glassed-in lobby or atrium. 
• Third many apartment buildings also have basement or rooftop mechanical equipment, such as water towers, pumps, and water heaters. 
• They may be damaged by flooding – so a good precaution is to fill a bathtub or sink with potable water. 
• High-rise residents should also be aware that flooding or wind damage may cause power outages that will prevent elevators from operating. 
• Because of the danger of falling limbs or trees, for your own safety stay out of City parks on Sunday.

CONSTRUCTION

• The Department of Buildings is issuing a stop work order that will suspend all construction in the five boroughs from 2 p.m. Saturday until 7 a.m. Monday.
• That includes renovations at City Hall and also extends to the operation of tower cranes at the World Trade Center Site. 
• Currently, 13 of the 24 tower cranes active in are city are located at the World Trade Center site. 
• This work stoppage will not, however, affect the scheduled opening of the 9/11 Memorial in time for the 10th anniversary of 9/11. 
• Since Wednesday, inspectors have been inspecting construction sites across the city to ensure equipment is properly secured. 
• Working with other City agencies, they will continue conducting inspections over the weekend to make sure the stop work order is being followed. 
• The Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Transportation are inspecting dozens of flood-prone locations to make sure catch basins are clear and able to handle the extra rain water.

Non-MTA transportation

• As Irene approaches, keeping City streets free for buses and emergency vehicles is crucial.
• For that reason, we’ve suspended alternate side parking and meter rules on Sunday and Monday.
• To ease travel around the City, starting at 9am Saturday we will implement a “zone-fare” plan that will make most rides less expensive and that will encourage group rides and permit livery drivers to make street pick-ups. 
• It’s the same plan we used during the transit strike of 2005. 
• And when and if driving conditions become too hazardous, the Taxi & Limousine Commission has the ability to send text messages to all drivers advising them of that. 
• If sustained wind speeds reach 46 miles and navigation becomes difficult, we may stop Staten Island Ferry service. 
• Commuter ferry services operated by the Economic Development Corporation will stop after this evening’s rush hour. 
• Once wind speeds reach 50 miles per hour, we’ll take a hard look at closing the bridges under the City’s jurisdiction.