An In-Depth Discussion of Cyber Security in Insider Threat, Software Supply Chain, Geopolitical Threats, Ransomware, Corporate Systems and Career Pathways

Presented by

Tuesday, January 31, 2023 12pm – 1pm Via Zoom Click here to RSVP

Speaker MANNY CANCEL Senior Vice President, Chief Executive Officer E-ISAC Manny Cancel assumed the role as NERC senior vice president and chief executive officer of the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC) in January 2020. He is responsible for the management and oversight of the E-ISAC and leading security operations and information sharing, threat intelligence and analysis, and stakeholder engagement initiatives designed to protect critical electricity infrastructure in North America. Mr. Cancel also serves as the E-ISAC’s key representative to important constituencies, such as the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC), government partners, and key industry groups and leads the E-ISAC’s strategic planning initiatives. Prior to joining NERC, Mr. Cancel served as Con Edison’s chief information officer (CIO) leading all aspects of information technology, including cyber security initiatives. In this capacity, he also supported various industry initiatives, serving as chair of the sector’s Cyber Mutual Assistance Program and supporting the Member Executive Committee (MEC), an advisory group formed out of the ESCC that provides guidance to the E-ISAC. Prior to assuming the role of CIO at Con Edison, Mr. Cancel held various roles over his 39-year career, including leadership roles in operations, customer service, audit, and information technology. New York City Hispanic Chamber  159 E 116th St, Second Floor, New York, NY 10029

Permits Filed For 2039 Westchester Avenue In Parkchester, The Bronx

 

Permits have been filed for a seven-story mixed-use building at 2039 Westchester Avenue in Parkchester, The Bronx. Located between Pugsley Avenue and Olmstead Avenue, the lot is in walking distance of the Castle Hill Avenue subway station, serviced by the 6 train. Jai Patel of PHG Construction Corp. is listed as the owner behind the applications.

The proposed 74-foot-tall development will yield 19,056 square feet, with 12,923 square feet designated for residential space, 3,138 square feet for commercial space, and 2,994 square feet for community facility space. The building will have 19 residences, most likely rentals based on the average unit scope of 680 square feet. The concrete-based structure will also have a cellar, a 20-foot-long rear yard, and ten enclosed parking spaces.

ABC Engineering is listed as the architect of record.

Demolition permits were filed in July 2021 for the two-story residential building on the site. An estimated completion date has not been announced.

“The Four (4) Amigos”, “The Independent Democratic Conference” In Albany NY and “The Freedom Caucus in Washington D.C.”

 

By Former NYC Councilman

Rev. Ruben Diaz

You should know that finally, after 15 voting sessions, The United States House of Representatives elected a Republican Congressman from the State of California, the Hon. Kevin McCarthy, as the new Speaker of the House, replacing Democrat Congresswoman, also from California Nancy Pelosi.

 

The Struggle to Elect a new Speaker for the House of Representatives lasted 4 days and took the 435 members of Congress, 15 rounds of voting prior to bringing the voting process to an end. This was due to the adamant opposition to Kevin McCarthy coming from Conservative Republicans known as "The Freedom Caucus."

 

The Conservative Republican Members from the “Freedom Caucus” got together to demand changes in the House Rules, and positions in Congress, refusing to automatically give their vote in appointing a New Speaker, in this case Congressman Kevin McCarthy.

 

The actions of "The Freedom Caucus" reminded me of a similar scenario back in 2009, that took place in Albany New York, when a group of four Democrat Senators in New York State, known as "The Four (4) Amigos” united to demand changes in Committee Leaderships, and to establish additional Committees before automatically giving their vote to appoint Senator Malcolm Smith as the President of the New York State Senate.

 

The members of "The Four Amigos" were, Three Hispanics (Puerto Ricans to be exact) and one Jewish Member, they were State Senators, Pedro Espada Jr., Hiram Monserrate, Karl Kruger, and yours truly, Rev. Rubén Diaz. This was Something never done or experienced in the State of New York.

 

It is important for you to know that by holding out “The Four Amigos" managed to obtained changes and Committee Leaderships in the Senate that otherwise would never have been achieved.  Some of the achievements obtained by "The Four Amigos" are as follows:

1. Senator Pedro Espada Jr. was appointed as the first Hispanic Vice -President of the State Senate.    

 

2. Senator Carl Kruger was appointed Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.  One of the most prestigious and powerful positions in the State Legislature.             

 

3. Senator Hiram Monserrate was appointed as Chairman of the Committee for “Consumer Affairs” with a focus on protecting Consumers, from being defrauded by Merchants, Retailers and State Industries.

4. And I, Rev. Rubén Diaz Sr., acquired the Chairmanship for the “Senior Citizens Committee" a much-needed committee to ensure the protection and care of our aging population. Its function was to secure programs and benefits that would improve the quality of life for our State’s Senior Citizens.

5. The "Four Amigos” Pedro Espada Jr., Karl Kruger, Hiram Monserrate and Rev. Rubén Diaz Sr., by holding out on casting their vote, achieved having the first Hispanic appointed as Secretary of State. That person was the honorable Angelo Aponte.  This is important because it was not only the first time in history that the NY State Senate appointed the first Hispanic to this prestigious position, but because it’s among one of the most powerful    positions in the State of New York.           



You should also now, my dear Reader, that these four (4) Senators, demonstrated the audacity to challenge the status quo and go against business as usual in Albany. For their audacity The Four Amigos were attacked, mocked, and condemned by the News Media of Albany, New York.  They were called "Opportunists," "Divisionists," "Extortionists," among other diatribes.  These attacks may have been because the demands were coming from Hispanics who dared launch a challenge and make demands before blindly casting their votes just to get along. Or because these four members managed to make some changes and get commitments never seen before. 

 

The most interesting thing about the actions of “The Four Amigos" was that apparently their actions set an example for others. This was apparent when they were later copied by another group of 4 Senators called “The Independent Democratic Conference”. This group was led by Senator Jeff Klein. Their members were all White (Caucasians) and its members were Sen. David Valesky, Sen. Diane Savino and Sen. David Carlucci. Following the example of "The Four Amigos" the four members of “The Independent Democratic Conference”, got together to also launch demands.

You should know that they demanded far more than “The Four Amigos” would even consider or dare to demand. "The Independent Democratic Conference" demanded for themselves an Exclusive independent Budget, Increase in Salaries, Large Offices, Additional Personnel and New Office Equipment. 

 

Yet in contrast to the negative treatment and criticism "The Four Amigos," received, the members of “The Independent Democratic Conference” were, Praised, held in high esteem, they were called Geniuses and Respected by all.

 

Today we see this same scenario repeated on a federal level when another group called "The Freedom Caucus" came together to demand changes and positions in the House of Representatives.  

 

This brings me joy and satisfaction to imagine that “The Four Amigos” seems to have set a precedent back in 2009 when Senators Pedro Espada Jr., Carl Kruger, Hiram Monserrate and Rev. Rubén Diaz Sr., in the New York State Senate. It appears that “The Four Amigos” served as an example for others to emulate, even in Washington D.C. This my friends, like it or not, is Democracy in action.

I am the Rev. Rubén Diaz, and This is What You Should Know.

Attorney General James Secures Relief for Consumers Who Were Tricked Into Purchasing Sick Pets

 

The Pet Zone Provided Incomplete Medical Records for Pets to Hide Past Illnesses

Company to Pay up to $200,000 to Eligible Consumers for Medical Costs

New York Attorney General Letitia James today reached an agreement with Bell Pet Company, LLC (Bell Pet), which does business as The Pet Zone, and its owners for misleading consumers about the health of the pets they sold to New Yorkers. Today’s agreement requires Bell Pet to pay a civil penalty and create a restitution fund of up to $200,000 to reimburse eligible consumers for medical costs. The Pet Zone, which has stores in Albany, Poughkeepsie, Watertown, and Queensbury, misled customers about the health of the pets they purchased by providing incomplete medical records.

“Deceiving families into buying sick puppies and kittens is not only cruel, it’s illegal,” said Attorney General James. “The Pet Zone turned a happy moment of bringing home a new pet into misery for pet owners when they discovered that their pet was sick and that they had to pay expensive medical bills to help them recover. This agreement will ensure that no one is deceived about the health of a pet they bring home. I encourage any individual who purchased a pet from The Pet Zone and was misled about their health to file a claim for reimbursement.”

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found that The Pet Zone provided consumers with deceptive medical records that did not include a full list of medication provided to the pet to hide previous illnesses. The Pet Zone offered consumers an online tracking system called “PetKey,” which the defendants claimed included a full list of all the medication provided to the pet prior to purchase. The OAG found that on several occasions, PetKey failed to list medications, including antibiotics, provided to pets and once the pets were brought home, they became sick.

Today’s agreement requires The Pet Zone to create a restitution fund of up to $200,000 to reimburse eligible consumers who purchased pets in or after January 2014 and within 14 days of purchase received a certification from a vet that their pet was sick and should have been unfit for sale. Eligible consumers will be reimbursed for their veterinary costs related to the vet’s certification and treatment for the illness up to the total cost of the pet, including tax. The fund will be available to any qualifying consumers for 12 months. In addition, The Pet Zone must pay $2,500 in penalties to the state.

As part of the settlement, within the next 30 days, the Pet Zone will be required to post information about submitting claims for anyone who believes they may be eligible to seek reimbursement. In the interim, if New Yorkers have questions about this settlement, they are encouraged to contact the OAG Watertown Regional office at (315) 523-6080.

The agreement also requires The Pet Zone to ensure that every pet has been examined by a licensed vet and has received all the vaccinations as required by state and local law with accurate and complete records provided to consumers. Additionally, The Pet Zone is required to train its employees and visibly alert consumers to the requirements of the Pet Lemon Law. The Pet Zone must identify a corporate point of contact for all Pet Lemon Law claims.

This agreement builds on Attorney General James’ past efforts to protect New York consumers and companion animals. In December 2021, Attorney General James filed a lawsuit against pet store Shake A Paw for unlawfully selling numerous sick or injured puppies to unaware consumers at both of its Long Island locations. Attorney General James also successfully secured a court order protecting puppies at both Shake A Paw locations. This past December, New York state took action to further protect companion animals when Governor Hochul signed legislation seeking to end the puppy mill-to-pet store pipeline and stop abusive breeders.

NYC Comptroller Report Finds 1,000+ Buildings with Chronic Lack of Heat Over Past 5 Years; City Failed to Enforce Action in 25% of Those Buildings

 

Report finds that City interventions – issuing violations, litigation, emergency repairs – are effective in addressing heat complaints, but the City too often fails to apply them.

 In a new report, “Turn Up the Heat,” issued on the one-year anniversary of the tragic Twin Parks fire in the Bronx, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander finds significant shortcomings in the City’s efforts to address heat complaints from tenants, especially in the chronically coldest buildings. While the Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s (HPD) interventions (e.g. issuing violations, litigation, emergency repairs, and the new heat sensor program) are effective in addressing heat complaints, HPD too often fails to apply them.

The report identified 1,077 buildings where tenants made more than five heat complaints every winter from 2017 through 2021. Although these were just 1.5% of buildings that originated complaints, they made up nearly a third of all heat complaints over those five years. However, of these 1,077 buildings with the most persistent heat issues, more than one quarter (274 buildings) saw no enforcement action of any kind from HPD.

Overall, tenants living in 70,766 privately-owned residential buildings made a total of 814,542 heat complaints between 2017 and 2021. During this five-year period, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) issued just 21,610 violations to landlords who failed to maintain the minimum-required temperature. In 80% of these buildings, a significant number of complaints did not recur the following year, suggesting that problems were addressed.

Heat complaints and violations were predominantly concentrated in communities of color. The five community districts with the highest volume of 311 complaints related to a lack of heat are 93% people of color on average. The five districts with the most violations issued average 89% people of color.

“The City must turn up the heat on landlords who leave their tenants in the cold,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. “The good news here is that our enforcement tools work: when HPD issues violations, sues landlords, does emergency repairs, or installs heat sensors – problems get fixed. But far too often, none of those actions take place even in buildings that are cold year, after-year, after-year. More strategic, data-informed enforcement and escalating penalties against landlords who repeatedly fail to provide heat are necessary to ensure safe and warm apartments for all New York City tenants.”

The Comptroller’s report arrives on the one-year anniversary of the fire at the tragic Twin Parks development in the Bronx that took the lives of 17 New Yorkers and injured dozens more. Between 2017 and 2021, portable heaters caused over 100 fires in New York City residential buildings like the one that sparked the Twin Parks fire. Living without heat for an extended period can lead to a serious decline in tenants’ mental and physical health, and residents will often turn to unsafe methods, such as portable heaters, to keep themselves and their families warm.

The report found that when deployed, the City’s enforcement strategies for addressing heat complaints are generally effective. Issuing violations to a building correlated to a 47% average drop in the number of heat complaints in the following heat season, and litigation correlated to a 45% average drop in the number of heat complaints in the following year. However, during this five-year period, HPD issued violations for failure to provide an adequate supply of heat for just 3% of heat complaints.

The Comptroller’s report includes a set of recommendations, including an expansion of HPD’s Heat Sensor Program to cover all buildings with persistent heat complaints. Established by City Council legislation in 2020, the Heat Sensor Program resulted in the largest decline in heat-related complaints in the years after heat sensors were installed. However, the program only currently covers 50 buildings, and enforcement of compliance with the program has been limited.

Additional recommendations of the report include:

• Using data & technology to inform and prioritize inspections with a focus on buildings with persistent heat complaints;
• Allowing tenants in buildings with a history of persistent heat complains to schedule inspections so that inspectors arrive and can gain access when heat issues are present;
• Conducting comprehensive site inspections jointly with HPD and DOB and identifying landlords’ willingness to address persistent building systems problems;
• Expanding proactive code enforcement and targeted escalation;
• Expanding multilingual outreach to tenants;
• Passing good cause eviction protections so tenants can exercise their rights.

“The findings of the comptroller further proves that the city needs to revamp its system in dealing with heat complaints. The tragic fire that happened at Twin Parks North West is a prime example of what happens when there is a lack of accountability, negligence, hence enforcement. Proposing, or even passing bills to deal with the heat issues are always a good start, but I emphasize that there has to be a system that is strict on enforcement. Intentional enforcement is the key, so that tragedies as the likes of Twin Parks North West never happen again,” said Salim Drammeh, President of the Gambian Youth Organization (GYO).

“As we recognize the 1-Year anniversary of one of our city’s deadliest fires, this report is a tragic reminder that more must be done to ensure our residents, regardless of their race or zip-code, have access to adequate heating during the winter months,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. “I want to thank Comptroller Brad Lander for highlighting these inequities and I look forward to working with him and my other colleagues in government to push for policy changes that would eliminate systemic barriers to New Yorkers accessing their fundamental right to heating in our city.”

The “Turn Up The Heat” report and recommendations to strength New York City’s heat laws are available here.

United States Attorney Implements Groundbreaking Settlement With Meta Platforms, Inc., Formerly Known As Facebook, To Address Discrimination In The Delivery Of Housing Ads

 

Meta Agrees to Change Its Ad Delivery System to Address Algorithmic Discrimination

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, along with Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, announced today that the Justice Department has reached a key milestone in its settlement agreement with Meta Platforms, Inc. (“Meta”), formerly known as Facebook, Inc., requiring Meta to change its ad delivery system to prevent discriminatory advertising in violation of the Fair Housing Act (“FHA”).  As required by the settlement entered on June 27, 2022, resolving a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Meta has now built a new system to address algorithmic discrimination.  Today, the parties informed the Court that they have reached agreement on the system’s compliance targets.  This development ensures that Meta will be subject to court oversight and regular review of its compliance with the settlement through June 27, 2026. 

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said:  “This groundbreaking resolution sets a new standard for addressing discrimination through machine learning.  We appreciate that Meta agreed to work with us toward a resolution of this matter and applaud Meta for taking the first steps towards addressing algorithmic bias.  We hope that other companies will follow Meta’s lead in addressing discrimination in their advertising platforms.  We will continue to use all of the tools at our disposal to address violations of the Fair Housing Act.”

“This development marks a pivotal step in the Justice Department’s efforts to hold Meta accountable for unlawful algorithmic bias and discriminatory ad delivery on its platforms,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to hold Meta accountable by ensuring the Variance Reduction System addresses and eliminates discriminatory delivery of advertisements on its platforms.  Federal monitoring of Meta should send a strong signal to other tech companies that they too will be held accountable for failing to address algorithmic discrimination that runs afoul of our civil rights laws.” 

The United States’ complaint alleged, among other things, that Meta uses algorithms in determining which Meta users receive ads, including housing ads, and that those algorithms rely, in part, on characteristics protected under the FHA.  Specifically, the United States alleged that Meta feeds troves of user information into its ad delivery system, including information related to users’ FHA-protected characteristics such as sex and race, and uses that information in its personalization algorithms to predict which ad is most relevant to which user.  As the complaint alleged, Meta’s delivery algorithms introduce bias when delivering ads, resulting in a variance along sex and estimated race/ethnicity between the set of users who are eligible to see housing ads based on the advertiser’s targeted audience and the set of users who actually see the ad. 

Pursuant to the settlement, Meta has developed a new system—the Variance Reduction System (“VRS”)—to reduce the variances between the eligible audience and the actual audience.  The United States has concluded that the new system will substantially reduce the variances between the eligible and actual audiences along sex and estimated race/ethnicity in the delivery of housing advertisements.  The VRS will operate on all housing advertisements across Meta platforms, and the agreement requires Meta to meet certain compliance metrics in stages.  For example, by December 31, 2023, for the vast majority of housing ads on Meta platforms, Meta will reduce variances to less than or equal to 10% for 91.7% of those ads for sex and less than or equal to 10% for 81.0% of those ads for estimated race/ethnicity.  For more information on the operation of the VRS, read Meta’s technical paper.

As further provided in the settlement agreement, the parties have selected an independent, third-party reviewer, Guidehouse, Inc. (“Guidehouse”), to investigate and verify on an ongoing basis whether the VRS is meeting the compliance metrics agreed to by the parties.  Under the agreement, Meta must provide Guidehouse and the United States with regular compliance reports and make available any information necessary to verify compliance with the agreed-upon metrics.  The court will have ultimate authority to resolve any disputes over the information that Meta must provide. 

Finally, as also required by the settlement agreement, Meta has ceased delivering housing advertisements using the Special Ad Audience tool (which delivered ads to users who “look like” other users), and Meta will not provide any targeting options for housing advertisers that directly describe or relate to FHA-protected characteristics.

This agreement marks the first time that Meta will be subject to court oversight for its ad targeting and delivery system.

More information about the Civil Rights Division and the civil rights laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.  More information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York is available at www.justice.gov/usao-sdny.  Individuals who believe they have been victims of housing discrimination may submit a report to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York online at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/civil-rights or by telephone at (212) 637-0840; may submit a report online to the Department of Justice atwww.civilrights.justice.gov; or may contact the Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777 or through its website at www.hud.gov. 

MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES CONSTRUCTION OF NEW CLOUDBURST RESILIENCY PROJECTS TO BETTER MANAGE INTENSE RAINFALL EVENTS IN FLOOD-PRONE NEIGHBORHOODS

 

$390 Million Projects Will Develop Innovative Methods to Absorb, Store, and Transfer Stormwater Caused by Sudden, Heavy Downpours

 

City Announces Four New Cloudburst Sites in Corona, Kissena Park, Parkchester, and East New York

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced the expansion of the city’s Cloudburst Program — which constructs clustered stormwater management projects in flood-prone communities — to four new neighborhoods, a major milestone in the city’s continued resiliency efforts to better prepare for intense rainfall events, like Hurricane Ida in the past. Supported with nearly $400 million in capital funds, these specially designed, built, and engineered infrastructure projects will protect residents and property in Corona and Kissena Park, Queens, Parkchester, Bronx, and East New York, Brooklyn from future extreme weather brought about by climate change.

 

“Four months ago, DEP Commissioner Aggarwala and I announced our plans for rainfall management, to protect our city and prevent future tragedies like what we saw during Hurricane Ida,” said Mayor Adams. “Today, we are pleased to announce a significant milestone in that plan. This $400 million investment in stormwater management projects cement New York City’s status as a national and global leader in green infrastructure, and shows our commitment to protecting New Yorkers from disastrous floods.”

 

“Environmental justice is a hallmark of Mayor Adams’ and DEP’s vision for a more resilient New York,” said Chief Climate Officer and DEP Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala. “This is the largest capital investment in cloudburst design in the U.S. and highlights the mayor’s commitment to environmental social justice.”

 

The Cloudburst Program has already begun work in three neighborhoods: South Jamaica and St. Albans, Queens and East Harlem, Manhattan. Selection of the latest four areas was led by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in partnership with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks), the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), and the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC). The selection process used a framework that examined historic and future stormwater flooding hotspots, existing city projects, environmental justice areas, and social factors that may increase vulnerability to stormwater flooding.

 

The projects are being funded with a combination of city and federal funds. An eighth neighborhood has also been chosen in Brownsville, Brooklyn, and the city is pursuing available funding options while planning projects there. More than two dozen additional locations are also being evaluated for inclusion in the Cloudburst Program. DEP will continue to aggressively apply for federal funding to support this vital work and expand this critical program. 

 

The historic investment being announced today will also allow DEP to install innovative and adaptive methods of absorbing, storing, and transferring stormwater to prevent flooding during a “cloudburst” — a sudden, heavy downpour of rain in a short period of time. Cloudbursts damage property, disrupt critical infrastructure, and pollute New York’s rivers and harbor. The Cloudburst Program incorporates grey and green infrastructure, as well as open spaces, to store excess stormwater until torrential rains pass and there is sufficient capacity in the neighborhood drainage system to better manage it. The sites will incorporate various projects intended to mitigate future extreme weather events predicted to bring up to 2.3 inches of rainfall per hour, as well as fortify neighborhoods against climate change. Construction on the four new sites is expected to begin in 2025.

  

Today’s announcement delivers on a promise made by Mayor Adams and DEP Commissioner Aggarwala last September, on the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Ida, to select four locations for the Cloudburst program by the end of 2022. These projects also come in response to two city reports: 2022 Long Term Stormwater Resilience Vision and The New Normal Report: Combating Storm-Related Extreme Weather In New York City, which prioritized stormwater resilience initiatives, including cloudburst management projects in areas vulnerable to flooding from heavy rain.  

 

In the past year, the city has finished construction on 2,300 new curbside rain gardens and started construction on another 1,000. The city also completed four new Bluebelts, and has deployed 31 FloodNet sensors in all five boroughs and will increase the number of sensors to 500 over the next five years. Additionally, the city’s green infrastructure program has greened more than 2,000 acres and implemented more than 17,000 linear feet of porous pavement with an additional 300,000 liner feet in design. 

 

“Threats from climate change come in many forms, including more frequent and heavier rainstorms. These Cloudburst sites provide vital and commonsense infrastructure to hold rainwater from heavy and sudden storms, sparing our streets and properties from flooding,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “These projects aim to build off of the growing number of green infrastructure efforts already implemented throughout the city, such as porous surfaces and rain gardens, and with these continued agency collaborations, we can focus on saving more lives and minimizing the inconvenience that comes from these flooding events.”

 

“Expanding our cloudburst programs is key in helping us protect New Yorkers from extreme rainfall, and making our city greener,” said Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice Executive Director Kizzy Charles-Guzmán. “Green infrastructure projects are much-needed in environmental justice communities, and the proposed ideas will expand and improve access for pedestrians and cyclists.”

 

“Cloudbursts can cause significant damage to our city and our parkland, and today’s announcement represents another major step from this administration towards making us more prepared for excessive precipitation,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “Rainfall mitigation is already a key component of our greenspace designs and in-park infrastructure, and we look forward to continuing our long-running partnership with the Department of Environmental Protection as we work collaboratively on these four new Cloudburst sites.”

 

“DDC builds thousands of pieces of green infrastructure every year, such as infiltration basins that divert stormwater away from city sewers, and we’re developing other approaches such as porous concrete that can be integrated into a comprehensive neighborhood-wide approach to cloudburst management,” said DDC Commissioner Thomas Foley. “Mayor Adams has called for capital process reform and I renew that call for resiliency projects so we can use taxpayer funds most efficiently as we approach these multi-faceted infrastructure projects.”

 

“Climate change is real, so preparing for more and more extreme storms is a necessity,” said DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “We are proud to collaborate with our partners at DEP, NYC Parks, and DDC to help address street flooding in these priority neighborhoods — and at the same time, we are identifying opportunities within these critical projects to incorporate pedestrian and bicyclist safety, which are also important tools in our efforts to combat a changing climate. We are grateful that the mayor’s leadership has pinpointed communities that need creative solutions to mitigate the kind of terrible flooding that we know can too often ruin New Yorkers’ lives and property.”  

 

“With this initiative, New York City is taking a major step in flood-proofing the city,” said Lykke Leonardsen, head of program for resilient and sustainable city solutions, City of Copenhagen, Denmark. “Copenhagen and New York have worked intensively together for the past seven years on developing this and it is fantastic to see how it will now become a reality.”

 “I am thrilled the Parkchester community is part of the expansion of an innovative program that looks to protect flood-prone communities from the damaging effects of climate change,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. “I want to thank Mayor Adams along with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, the Department of Transportation, and the New York City Department of Design and Construction for their work in expanding the Cloudburst Resiliency Program that will help communities be safe in the face of excessive rainfall.”

“The impact of intense rainfalls has devastated communities, like mine in the Northeast Bronx, which has a history of flooding and infrastructure concerns. By investing in our infrastructure and expanding resiliency projects, we can prevent extreme weather from damaging our communities. I look forward to seeing the Cloudburst Expansion project across New York City,” said New York City Councilmember Marjorie Velázquez.

Statement from Speaker Adams on Anniversary of Twin Parks Fire and “17 Abdoule Touray Way” Street Co-Naming Ceremony

 

“Today, our hearts are heavy in remembrance of the lives lost last year to one of the deadliest fires in our city’s history. I stand with the families and community gathering today to reflect on the seventeen lives that were cut short too soon. Many are also coming together today for a street co-naming ceremony in honor of Abdoule Touray, a beloved father and Islamic community leader, who embodied the spirit of New York. Touray helped establish the resilient Gambian and West African community around Twin Parks, welcoming immigrants from his homeland and neighboring countries with accommodations and access to spiritual services. We join in honoring Touray’s legacy as part of today’s memorial.”

“This past year, the Council passed critical legislation to improve fire safety regulations for all New Yorkers. The Twin Parks Citywide Taskforce on Fire Prevention will continue advancing legislative oversight to ensure the City is doing all it can to avert harm and injuries from preventable fires.”