Hits: 917
MAY COVID COUNT WESTCHESTER DAILY POSITIVES: 646 A WEEK/2,584 A MONTH
Hits: 554
Hits: 12
71 PATIENTS HOSPITALIZED FOR SERIOUS COVID AT WHITE PLAINS HOSPITAL IN MAY—60% OF TOTAL ROOM ADMISSIONS.
WPCNR COVID SURVEILLANCE. Statistics from NY Covid Health Department. Observation & Analysis by John F. Bailey. May 30, 2023.
The daily covid positives in Westchester County based on positive lab verified results per 100,000 population numbered 156 through Saturday May 27. The week of May 21 through May 27 marked the 6th straight week since the week of April 9 to 15 (when Westchester reported 228 new cases) that the county has averaged a stubborn slow decline in covid cases from 288 down to 156 last week, a 11% decline in 6 weeks.
The average new daily cases per week has averaged 174 cases a week , a total of 1,045 across Westchester the last 6 weeks. Every week 174 new cases were reported in Westchester.
At White Plains, at White Plains Hospital Medical Center, the hospitalizations of persons seriously ill with covid requiring rooms at the hospital have averaged 60% of all persons admitted to hospital beds through the first 29 days of may (71 coved patient admissions to rooms of 119 admitted, 60%). The covid admissions to rooms amount to 11 of 28 hospitalizations last week, a decline from the previous week. This is a reminder that if you have not gotten fully vaccinated and your two boosters, you might want to get up to date. Covid is out there. It is stubbornly hanging on.
As readers of this column know, only daily cases lab verified are being reported by the Covid Tracker. This means the total cases of positives out there on any given day is not known (not verified because there is no trace testing, no admonition to have antigen tests reported for verification by a lab).
The ability to project covid spread into the summer is hard to tell. Well, the daily cases per 100,000 in Westchester the last month work out when multiplied by Westchester County population of 1,004,000 we can tell you how the disease will spread, whether it will grow, remain the same or diminish.
Through May, it diminished but now seems to be reducing in infections and is plateau at 175 a month.
Last week the new infections were at 2.3 a day per 100,000 population for 7 days. Multiply that by 10.04 ( 1,004,000 Westchester population) that works out to 23 new cases a day. That means 161 new infections were the potential new covid cases last week based on the population. If the 2.3 daily rate continues, and you multiply that by 4 weeks the month of June may see 2,584 infections of actual infections. But wait!
The 2,584 infections expected from this artificially low positive 2.3 daily cases per 100,000 are verified.
Who knows who will go in and get lab-tested?
Last June the “Anything Goes” lack of enforcement of covid infections was instituted by the state legislature that took away the Governor’s powers in 2021to declare a health emergency gave the covid disease a 5th wave. In June of 2022, 9,632 infections (lab verified) that was based on actual test positives were recorded, which climbed to over 10,000 new covid infections. Totals of new covid cases daily average 300 a day for the month of June last year.
Will this Summer Spread happen again? The vaccines have steadily lowered the number of covid cases the last 11 months.
We have no way of knowing how many persons will be out there in June carrying covid and not getting positive antigen tests verified by a lab test, and how sick they will get.
If you go by projecting the present 2.3 daily infection rate, the daily infections not counted by verification of antigen tests, could be a very low number of the daily infections (lab tested) continue to decline. If the daily rate goes up, will they go up another 3,000 perhaps?
The only way to prevent getting covid if the June mystery covid carriers multiply and start growing to last year’s levels, is to complete your vaccine series and the boosters. And mask more. Very few were masked when I was out in public over the weekend.
WHITE PLAINS REMEMBERS THE FALLEN, GIVES THANKS SO THAT WE MAY LIVE IN SAFETY,NOT FEAR” MAYOR SAYS
Hits: 801
WHITE PLAINS VETERANS LEAD THE MEMORIAL DAY PARADE THIS MORNING.
WHITE PLAINS COMMON COUNCIL AND REPRESNTATIVES, STEPPING SMARTLY (FROM LEFT) JUSTIN BRASCH, SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS JOSEPH RICCA, COUNCILWOMAN NADINE HUNT-ROBINSON, CONGRESSMAN JAMAAL BOWMAN, COUNCILMAN JOHN MARTIN, COUNTY LEGISLATOR BEN BOYKIN, COUNCILWOMAN JENNIFER PUJA AND MAYOR THOMAS ROACH
THE PARADE STARED PRECISELY AT 10 A.M.. ONE OF THE LONGER PARADES IN RECENT YEARS.
MAYOR ROACH PRESENTED THE DECEASED VETERAN HONOREE AWARD TO THEODORE J LEE, JR., WHOSE DAUGHTER (Center) ACCEPTED THE AWARD FOR HER FATHER. MAYOR ROACH CALLED HIM A PERSON WHO ALWAYS MADE YOU SMILE AND A WONDERFUL CITIZEN OF WHITE PLAINS. HIS DAUGHTER IS THE 4TH GENERATION MEMBER TO RUN THE LEE FUNERAL HOME.
Veteranss Robert “Bob” Wynn, U.S Marines; Stephen Wallfish, Army, Jewish War Veterans Post #191 , and Dan Griffin, Army, American Legion Post 135 read the names of the 66 White Plains Citizens who have died in United States Wars in service to their country, dating back to the American Revolution.
THE MAYOR HONORED THE GRAND MARSHALL OF THE PARADE, CHARLES MEBANE, SR. OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE. THE MAYOR SAID SAID MR. MEBANE AID HE WAS A ELEANOR ROOSEVELT AND HARRY TRUMAN SOLDIER, WHO SERVED WITH THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN, AND WAS DISCHARGED IN 1951. HE RETURNED TO WHITE PLAINS AND BECAME A BARBER, WHERE MAYOR SAID THAT WHILE MOST BARBERSHOPS TALKED THE SPORTS SCORES MR. MAGRANE TALKED TO THE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO CAME IN ABOUT THE CHALLENGES OF LIFE. TR. MAGRANE (IN NATTY TAN CAP), REMARED ” PEOPLE ASK HOW I’M FEELING, I SAY SOMETIMES I DON’T FEEL GOOD, BUT IT’S BETTER THAN NOT FEELING AT ALL.”
In closing remarks, Mayor Tom Roach, said “On this beautiful Memorial Day, we are so grateful to the last measure of devotion these veterans gave to their country.” He said that he is correspondence with a member of the city council in Kyiv, Ukraine. He reflected how when school closes here it is because of weather, but the council member’s city is under seige. The Mayor said we in this country are fortunate to be safe from the forces that would threaten our safety and sense of peace. He said we have the sacrifice of our veterans who have died fighting for freedom to thank for our security today.
After placement of wreaths, Cynthia Kauffman, Daughters of Liberty read Flanders Fields
In Flanders Fields
BY JOHN MCCRAE
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
A RIFLE SALUTE TO THE DEPARTED VETERANS BY THE FIRING SQUAD AND COLOR GUARD, AMERICAN LEGION POST #135 ECHOED ACROSS THE SILENT CEMETARY GROUNDS.
TAPS WAS PERFORMED BY PETER GASIEWICZ, MARINE INFANTRY VETERAN, BUGLES ACROSS AMERICA
The White Plains High School Marching Band performed great marches all the way to the Rural Cemetery, entertaing folks lining North Broadway including a stirring National Anthem, and the Drum Corps kept groups, scout packs, The Rotary and civic groups in step.
JENETTE GISBERT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF VOLUNTEER NEW YORK ON THE VOLUNTEER SITUATION IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY
Hits: 583
JENETTE GISBERT OF VOLUNTEER NEW YORK ON THE WESTCHESTER NEED FOR VOLUNTEERS NOW 
JENETTE GISBERT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, VOLUNTEERNEWYORK WATCH HER “PEOPLE TO BE HEARD” INTERVIEW ON www.wpcommunitymedia.org
CURRENT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED BY ORGANIZATIONS LISTED BELOW CLICK ON TITLE OF ORGANIZATION TO VOLUNTEER, MORE INFORMATION:
CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS. CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS
Hits: 692
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
VOLUNTEERING
IT’S GRILLIN’ TIME. THE INTREPID AMERICAN GRILLMAN RETURNS–A JULY 4TH TRADITION– ONE POLICY ALL AMERICANS CAN AGREE ON
Hits: 734
WPCNR GRILLMAN GAZETTE. By The Grillin Gourmet. ReInternetted from The CitizeNetReporter Archives of the Ancient Past. July 4, 2023:
No matter whether you’re a New York Liberal, a Michigan Wolverine, A Trump supporter, A Desantisman, BIDENET or California free spirit, there’s still one phenomenon the country still believes in AND IS SOLIDLY ALL IN ON– the American grillin’ Holiday Cookout.
Thanks to the chimney charcoal starter and its glowing orange coals, the backyard American barbeque DNA macho in the amateur chef was inordinately delayed by the coldest WETTEST windiest spring in memory.
But today its 71 degrees in White Plains New York USA, CLIMBING TO 77 WABCCCCCC DEGREES. The immortal deejay Big Dan Ingram is telling you to “Roll Your Bod,” Beach and the grill are READY!
Steak was raised outside!
It was born to be cooked outside.
The outdoor charcoal grilled steak puts the steakhouse in its place!
In this griller’s opinion, outdoor grilling proves once again to be superior to the overpriced artificial-tasting butter steak.
Sleek decor and atmosphere cannot duplicate backyard origins.
The economy may be bobbing and weaving , your home equity shrinking, but take heart even the hobo can grill! It’s part of American DNA. It’s Democracy!
To do real steak right , you have to do it outside on charcoal.
The instinct of generations of the American backyard grilling tradition passed up from the cave, enjoyed at Valley Forge. Lewis and Clark bit into venison discovering the Northwest.
Cowboys sunk teeth into rare beef around chuck wagons on the prairie and Miss Kitty’s Long Branch Saloon and up from the Southland , barbecue inbred and passed on from American father to American son – cutting across nationality and station – gives you real steak – not $100 technology enhanced cuts.
Flaming charcoal makes steak a living thing in your mouth! Tastes so damn good.
Why go out for dinner when you can tap your inner griller and say I can cook steak better!
The difference is the air, the smoke, the way marinade just drips down into the coals and gets into the meat. It’s chemistry, Americans! We need that American chemistry of gathering around the grill and socializing and appreciating each other and respecting each other.
What is it about the American Grillman that’s so special that his or hers backyard cuts charred to perfection beat the insider professionals’ inflation-friendly ostentatious steaks?
It’s the unique chemistry of being American and believing in the charcoal flames. The campfire. Delmonico’s.
On Memorial Day, or Independence Day it’s a must. t’s not July 4 unless you’re grillin’. On Labor Day, if you’re not workin’, you’re grillin’.
There’s just something about the searing intensity of glowing charcoal combining mystically with the testosterone and instinctual synergy between red meat and the dedicated outdoor griller – it beats in taste, juiciness and texture the contrived technology of the most expensive restaurant equipment.
No matter how tasty the megabuck meat is in the swank sticker shock steak palaces of the expense accounters, there’s always that artificial packaged taste that betrays the indoor steak. The butter softness. The soft crust of the black topped surface of the indoor steak just does not have the nubile grizzled roughhewn rugged flamed, charred macho, and reluctant yield of the outdoor one-on-one grilled steak that fights your bicuspids with spirit, and sealed in juiciness.
The Chimney Starter the Secret.
Pour in a helping of those ultimate black beauties, Kingsford charcoal briquettes into the chimney top.
Fifteen minutes before the wife has the sides ready, take a wooden match to the apertures in the base of the starter and light up the edges of the newsprint. Within 10-15 minutes you’ve got coals a firey orange red. You’re ready to outcook the pros.
After the Griller’s wife has marinated the meat – the bone trimmed Porterhouse is sizzzzzzzlllllllllling in the caressing deep searing heat of glowing orange briquettes – 4 minutes a side in 400 degree heat and deft turning and surgical “rareness checks” – the seasoned grilling caballero simply has a feel for the meat – passed genetically down from generations of American grillers.
The combination of cauldron, flavored steel grill rods and perfect flames creates the grillmark “brand” lets you know just by looking at the cut, you’re going to get the natural taste of the backyard steak – No one can do a great cut like you can!
As any redblooded American Grillman will tell you when doing a steak – you can’t deliver a steak by manual or instructions.
You have to feel the meat. Feel it cook. You just know its time. Hearty smoke promising juicy meat that melts in your mouth creates an experience only the grillman or GrillGal knows.
Every cut is not the same.
Each deserves a surgeon’s attention to cooking timing and detail. Surgical checks are necessary.
The American Grillman becomes one with the meat. With eye and knowledge of the hue of red – you just know by instinct when she’s done.
Cooking is slowed down by moving the meats to the side off the heat to keep the American beauties warm
With the wife’s deft presentation, sweet potato fries, corn pudding, fresh beans and mushrooms the Grillman’s natural art creates the taste of traditional American 3-Day Weekend.
Get those grills handy and ready to fire up to get that taste of American unity once again.
When you’re over the grill, you’re King of the Hill.
COVID CASES NOSEDIVE ACROSS USA YOUR LOCAL EPIDEMIOLOGIST REPORTS.
Hits: 336
Catch up quick: COVID-19
We survived the end of the public health emergency. Here’s the state of affairs.
Surveillance
SARS-CoV-2 is nosediving across all metrics in all regions of the U.S.: hospitalizations, deaths, emergency room departments, and wastewater. Wastewater is still higher than in 2020 and 2021, though.
We’ve been hitting new lows in death counts, too. In fact, excess deaths are hovering at only ~1% above pre-pandemic rates (at the height of the pandemic we were at 47%). In other words, things are looking good right now.
It will be interesting to watch what happens this summer, as the South has consistently faced a COVID-19 wave. Most scientists (including me) are betting that we will continue to see wavelets, at least until winter.
Virologists continue to identify “cryptic lineages” in wastewater, though.
These are highly mutated COVID-19 variants that randomly pop up on our radar. The latest (right below) was detected ~12 hours ago. None have taken off yet, but are a lingering reminder that a variant of concern could be brewing in the background. We still have many unanswered questions about cryptic lineages: What is the health status of the person? Do they have long COVID? Where in the body is the virus replicating?
Noteworthy COVID-19 news
- Indoor air quality. Up until now, the CDC recommended that we “improve ventilation” to reduce transmission. But by how much? Well, for the first time, CDC set minimum ventilation targets for indoor spaces: 5 air changes per hour. This may sound like boring news, but it’s huge for public health. Not just for viruses but health overall. While this standard isn’t mandatory, you should follow up with your business, school, place of worship, etc. to ensure it’s being met now.
- Fall boosters. The WHO officially recommends a monovalent (one strain) booster that targets XBB—an Omicron subvariant—this fall. Countries don’t have to follow suit. (The U.S. chose a different vaccine formula than WHO recommended last year, for example.) A big FDA meeting is coming in June to discuss the U.S. plan.
- Mask usage. Polling on May 6-9 found 46% of respondents wore a mask at least some of the time in the past 7 days. Just looking outside, I was surprised about this statistic, but probably because I’m white and in the suburbs, two groups with the lowest rates. We really need to improve masking among older adults, especially in times of high transmission.
- Potential relief for immunocompromised. AstraZeneca is on track for an Evushield replacement. Their Phase III clinical trial is showing promising results. An emergency use authorization “could be here by the second half of this year.”
Interesting science updates
- Changes in transmission. The risk of household transmission is increasing as Omicron continues to mutate. In addition, expect to get infected ~1 day quicker than before (average 4 days). Infection risk continues to be higher among unvaccinated versus vaccinated people.
- Missed opportunity. COVID-19 vaccinations rates among children are abysmal. One study found that if we reached flu vaccine coverage levels over this past winter, we could have prevented 10,019 pediatric hospitalizations and 5,448,694 days of school absence for COVID-19. Better luck next year?
- Risk of long COVID after second infection. Risk of long COVID decreases after second infections, but is not zero. A new preprint found the risk of long COVID after a second infection is 1 in 40 for those over 16 years old and 1 in 165 for those under 16 years old. (As a comparison, the annual risk of getting into a car accident is 1 in 30 and the annual risk of permanent impairment is 1 in 700.)
What’s next?
We are in for a few quiet weeks (or months? who knows). In June, we should have clarity on the fall COVID-19 vaccine plan in the States. Stay tuned.
Love, YLE
WHITE PLAINS WEEK REPORT MAY 26 AT www.wpcommunitymedia.org
Hits: 295
JOHN BAILEY AND THE NEWS THIS WEEK EVERY WEEK ON WHITE PLAINS WEEK FOR 22 YEARS.
FIRST MIGRANTS COME TO WESTCHESTER COUNTY. WHAT WE KNOW, DON’T KNOW AND WHY WE DON’T KNOW–THE LEADERS DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO
PLAYLAND OPENS, JOHN BAILEY TAKES YOU THROUGH THE NEW PLAYLAND.
SHOCKER OF THE WEEK : PRESIDENT’S NEW ASYLUM GUIDELINES WILL BAR THOUSANDS FROM ASYLUM
COVID CASES EASING DOWN SLOWLY NATIONWIDE LAST THREE MONTHS
GOVERNOR HOCHUL ASKS WASHINGTON TO SEND JUDGES, CLERKS AND MONEY TO HOUSE NEW YORK CITY’A 71,000 MIGRANTS.
WHY I WRITE FORCE OF INFECTION
Hits: 254
Later this summer, I’ll mark the one year anniversary of Force of Infection. As I think about the year that has passed and the second year ahead, I want to take a moment to explain why I write this newsletter. This past December, there was a period when everyone in my household except me was laid up with strep throat. Miraculously, I was spared—which earned me the privilege of overseeing four visits to the doctor’s office, five trips to various pharmacies, and the role of chief caregiver during multiple days out of school and work. On top of everything else, the antibiotics prescribed to treat my family’s bacterial infections were in short supply. The same inelastic supply chains that couldn’t provide enough masks and at-home tests during COVID-19 waves put common antibiotics in shortage. I had to make multiple phone calls to our doctor and various pharmacies to find a suitable replacement that was actually in stock. Even now, months later, certain amoxicillin products remains in short supply. If all this sounds familiar, it’s not just in your head. Similar dramas played out in millions of households this winter. Such is the nature of epidemics — it’s everywhere, all at once. And of course, it wasn’t just strep throat that went around. First RSV, then COVID-19, influenza, adenovirus, and finally stomach bugs all took turns making us miserable. It’s a carousel that families couldn’t seem to get off. Infectious disease activity has finally quieted down, but it was a tough school year (again) for many families. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022 and the first months of 2023 were as challenging for childcare issues as the early years of the pandemic. Let me say that again: disruption to childcare has been ongoing for three straight years. In fact, October 2022 was the worst month for childcare issues across the entire pandemic, and this February was on par with pre-vaccine levels. Even last month, when both flu season and covid had died down, was worse than the height of flu season in the years before the pandemic. Not all of these childcare issues are attributable to illness, of course. But, given the successive waves of infections, I suspect that many are.
Labor Force Statistics: Employed with a job, Not at work, Childcare problems. BLS. The impact of these illnesses was felt not just in homes, but also in schools and workplaces. When kids are home sick from school, parents have to miss work to care for them. And even in households without small children, infections can wipe days or even weeks of work off the calendar. It creates a ripple effect, as businesses struggle to maintain productivity and people are forced to make impossible choices about how to keep all the balls in the air. The backlash to pandemic-era measures would have you believe that there are two modes: all or nothing. Either you spare no thought to what’s going around, or you “live in fear.” This is a false dichotomy. We can make decisions about avoiding infections just like we make any other decision about managing risk. There is a sustainable middle ground for staying healthy that I think is worth incorporating. When a storm is forecasted, I pack an umbrella or cancel plans at the park. When my budget is tight, I spend less. When I know there’s a lot of flu going around, I wear a mask on the metro. If I’m not feeling well, I work from home. For older adults or people with health conditions, precautions during flu season or a COVID-19 wave may be more strict. But without any awareness of what the current outbreak situation is, there is nothing to base sound decisions on. The first step is knowing what’s going around so you can adjust accordingly — and helping people access that information is one of the main goals of this newsletter. I want people to have quick, digestible information about what’s going around their communities so they can make those informed decisions. My hope is that readers will miss fewer days of work and school, need fewer trips to the doctors office or pharmacy, and enjoy overall better health. I also hope that if and when there is a severe public health event, you’ll have a place to turn for trusted information. As Your Local Epidemiologist and I wrote recently, public health did not always succeed at connecting with the public during the pandemic. “People do not turn to media companies for their news,” we wrote. “They turn to anchors and reporters whom they come to know and trust—warm bodies that they can relate to and who appear consistently over time. We don’t give the public enough opportunities to see and trust warm bodies in public health. Messages must be delivered by real people, preferably the same people, in a style that feels human.” I hope to do some of that here, too. So thanks for joining me here at Force of Infection. I hope you stick around for year two. Quick summary of outbreaks this weekCOVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths continue to decline. Trends in wastewater data are also stable. I’m watching the Southern region of the country most closely, as that is where previous summer waves have started. But so far there are no signs of increase. Influenza-like illness and RSV are still declining. We are now well out of flu season, thankfully. Norovirus is falling in all four regions of the country. Gerber Good Start formula has been recalled. This time of year, events like potlucks and block parties where food sits out in the hot sun too long are a big source of foodborne illness. FDA has some good tips for food safety when eating outdoors. One highlight is not to keep food out for more than 2 hours (or 1 hour if it’s more than 90 F outside). Also take care when handling raw meats. Mpox case counts remain low, but CDC is warning of a probable increase this summer. CDC has some good information about how to protect yourself from mpox, especially as we head into Pride month.
Photo by Laurentiu Iordache on Unsplash
|
‘WE’LL HELP OUT!” on HOUSING MIGRANTS, COUNTY EXECUTIVE LATIMER ASSURES
Hits: 495
WPCNR Migrants Today. May 24, 2023:
Being interviewed on WOR Radio Tuesday, County Executive George Latimer in a statement implied he would accept New York City migrants placements in Westchester County:
He said: “Our attitude isn’t as severe as some of our neighboring counties. If we’re trying to help release a little bit of the pressure valve in New York City, we’ll help out. We’ll do a certain amount, and we’ll manage it, and we’ll try to make sure that it goes well.”
On WVOX Tuesday morning he said there was no “sanctuary” towns or cities in the county and no other locations other than the Yonkers Ramada Inn where 50 rooms are allocated and paid for by New York City to house migrants currently, at this time.
At the end of last week, the county has not yet responded to WOR questions as to how the county was mobilizing with Westchester organizations, businesses, hotels and cities since last week to line up possible migrant housing locations in the county.
WPCNR has learned that a number of non-profit organizations have been meeting and discussing needs and logistics as to how their organizations can respond to help and provide for New York’s 71,000 migrants needing housing.
The Hudson Valley Gateway Association of Realtors, asked by WPCNR if the realtors discussing a policy to find housing available for migrants in a statement wrote:
” HGAR does not have a statement about housing at this point. As for foreclosures (as housing locations) that would be up to individual brokers.” (The Regional Realtors are having a conference the first week in June where how real estate professionals could help the region respond to the migrant crisis by discussing possibilities, but it is not planned to do so at this time.)
Modayn NY Governor Kathy Hochul in an appearance in Brooklyn with Mayor Eric Adams, said the state is coordinating locations to house the migrants. She did not prohibit counties from responding with their own local location suggestions. She called on the Biden Administration to provide Judges, Clerks and Money to expedite the asylum procedure.
in her address to the state Monday, she said:
“Right now, we have members of my senior team literally embedded working shoulder to deal with finding space, just emergency shelters, wherever we can find it. We have over 1,500 National Guard members. What are they doing? Building cribs, running out for food, making you feel secure, helping people apply for their asylum status, becoming a friend to people. And I want to thank our National Guard. This is a hurricane of sorts and they’ve been out there since for many months, and I want to thank them for what they’re doing.
And we are identifying additional shelters.
“The city is overflowing. The mayor has used every ounce of creativity with him and his team to find space, and we are asking for more space. We’re looking at hangers at JFK.
We’ve asked for Floyd Bennett Field to stand up a major operation. We have other facilities we’ve been talking about. We’ll be announcing more on that briefly.