Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
#54-16


NYC EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ANNOUNCES NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH

STATEN ISLAND MALL



New partnership allows NYC Emergency Management to use part of the Staten Island Mall’s parking lot as an operational site for deployment of critical supplies and equipment after an emergency



October 24, 2016 – NYC Emergency Management today announced a new partnership with the Staten Island Mall that allows the City to use part of the mall’s parking lot as a Logistics Staging Area (LSA) for the deployment of critical commodities, supplies and equipment after a hurricane or an emergency event. The LSA is a way-station designed to receive, stage, track, and deploy shipments of these critical resources ranging from baby formula, blankets, bottled water and fuel to equipment such as light towers, generators, pumps, and shipping containers to be used to assist in response efforts to affected communities. The Staten Island Mall is a borough-based site that targets emergency support to neighborhoods on Staten Island. During Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Citi Field and Floyd Bennett Field were used as LSAs. With the addition of the Staten Island Mall, critical supplies can be deployed for Staten Island residents from within the borough.

“Our goal after an emergency is to help residents return to normalcy in a safe, effective and efficient way,” said NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Esposito. “The Logistics Staging Area is important to the recovery process because we’re able to set up critical equipment and supplies close to the affected neighborhoods. We are proud to name the Staten Island Mall as a partner in emergency response and recovery.”

“The Staten Island Mall is proud to be a partner with NYC Emergency Management to provide a location that will ultimately help Staten Islanders,” said James Easley of General Growth Properties. “After Hurricane Sandy, the need to get residents of Staten Island back to normal as quickly as possible was apparent to everyone. We hope there will never be a disaster that requires the use of this LSA but if there is, we are prepared to help the agencies who are responding quickly.”

NYC Emergency Management, in partnership with other City agencies and non-profit partners may operate numerous recovery programs along with a LSA, including a Commodities Distribution Program, where supplies like water and food can be handed out to residents affected by a hurricane or other disaster.

NYC Emergency Management has identified numerous sites that can serve as LSAs throughout the five boroughs including Citi Field, Floyd Bennett Field, Belmont Raceway, the Bronx Zoo, and Resorts World Casino, among others. The Staten Island Mall is the latest partner to work with the City to provide post-disaster space to serve the residents of Staten Island.
                                     
“During our first meeting with NYC Emergency Management after becoming Borough President we discussed the need for NYC Emergency Management to secure an adequate Logistics Staging Area in our borough to serve Staten Islanders in case of an emergency,” said Staten Island Borough President James Oddo. “We all agreed that the Staten Island Mall would be an ideal location, both because of its size and because it is inland and would be accessible in case of a major storm. Thank you to the Staten Island Mall for agreeing to open their parking lot to assist Staten Islanders in times of need.”

“As chairman of the Congressional subcommittee with jurisdiction over emergency preparedness, I deal with national policies to improve the country’s response to terror attacks or natural disasters all the time,” said Congressional representative and Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness Daniel M. Donovan, Jr. “But true preparedness starts in the community, which is why I’m so supportive of NYCEM’s partnership with the Staten Island Mall. It’s a well-known and central hub in the borough, and I think the partnership is a natural fit.”

“Partnerships like these allow for greater coordination of assets and resources between first responders, and public and private emergency management professionals,” said NYC Council Member Joseph Borelli. “I appreciate the efforts of General Growth Properties, the SI Mall administration, and NYC Emergency Management to integrate their property with the greater city-wide emergency management planning strategy.”

“As we saw in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, a massive response from numerous agencies was required to handle the devastation brought by the storm. The addition of the Staten Island Mall, a centralized and inland location, as a Logistics Staging Area will aid in response efforts should another disaster strike,” said Assembly Member Michael Cusick. “I want to thank the mall and the City of New York for their work in securing a location for Staten Island, so that those in need can receive aid as efficiently as possible.”

“Community Board 2 commends the partnership that the Staten Island Mall and the New York City Emergency Management Department has formed for the residents affected by disaster. One of the lessons learned from Hurricane Sandy is the importance of having one central location that is strategically sited, as the Staten Island Mall is, so that information, help and resources are available and can be quickly distributed and disseminated to those in need. It is almost as if disaster relief can be as helpful as ‘one-stop shopping,’” said Community Board 2 District Manager Debra Derrico.

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