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NYDIS Co-Sponsors 2007 Hurricane & Evacuation Planning Summit – June 5

Register for “Hurricane & Evacuation Planning: A Summit for NYC Religious Leaders” to be held on Tuesday, June 5, 8:30 am-1:00 pm at NYU Kimmel Center. The half-day event, presented by HSC, NYDIS and OEM, will focus on coastal storm education, business continuity planning, and community rebuilding and household recovery planning for religious leaders. The agenda includes guest speakers on the City’s Evacuation Plan for Coastal Storms and the role of religious leaders and houses of worship; teaching important skills for hurricane planning and preparedness; offering resources for bringing preparedness education to your community and networking opportunities with other houses of worship in your Flood Zone. NYU Kimmel Center is at 60 Washington Square South (West 4th St. between LaGuardia & Thompson).

Registration is Free - Breakfast will be provided.

For more information contact:
Autumn Brown, Community Outreach & Training Coordinator
212.669.6100
abrown@nydis.org

Register online:
www.nydis.org

:: NYDIS Welcomes 2 New Staff

Benoît Jadoul joins us as Director of Development. He comes to NYDIS from FoodChange, a nonprofit in NYC where, as Senior Director of Development, he was responsible for introducing annual appeals that increased the agency’s budget in support of its nutrition, education and financial empowerment programs. Teresa Garza, our VISTA for Community Outreach, will build NYDIS’ capacity to bring together and train faith community members, leaders, and volunteers in disaster mitigation and preparedness. She comes from San Benito, Texas, where she worked in community relations at the Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Center.

Benoît can be reached at:
212.669.6119
bjadoul@nydis.org

Teresa can be reached at:
212.669.6110
tgarza@nydis.org

:: NYDIS ED Participates in Post-Katrina NO Panel

Milano the New School for Management and Urban Policy presents “Post-Katrina New Orleans: Building a Better City” on May 11 at 12:00 noon. Peter Gudaitis will be on the review panel for this series of reports and recommendations by Milano and Lang students in the research seminar on post-Katrina New Orleans. The school is located at 72 Fifth Avenue and the event is in the 3rd Floor Conference Room. Following the introduction by Margaret Goodwin on “Katrina and the Challenge of Recovery”, topics will be: Building a Stronger Post-Katrina Economy, Rebuilding New Orleans on a Smaller Footprint, The Future of Public Housing in New Orleans, and Neighborhood Rehabilitation: The Musicians Village Example.

For more information, contact Professor Peter Eisinger:
Henry Cohen Professor
212.229.5400 x1516
EisingeP@newschool.edu

:: NYDIS Honored by United Sikhs at WTC

At the Sikh Day Parade event on April 28, the United Sikhs honored NYDIS, along with first responders from the NYPD, FDNY, and Ambulatory Services. The event paid solemn homage to the victims of 9/11 at Ground Zero, and prior to the Parade was FDNY’s Emerald Society Pipes & Drums. After the Invocation Dr. Surjit Singh was the Keynote Speaker, and then the Honorees were presented peace-mementos and Congressman Gregory Meeks spoke.

Contact Hardayal Singh:
973.980.2379
contact@unitedsikhs.org

:: NYDIS Offers Workshops at NYC Citizen Corps Conference

The NYC Citizen Corps Council presented the "Disaster Volunteer Conference" on April 28-29 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at St. Francis College in Brooklyn. A diverse group of volunteers (representing the Medical Reserve Corps, the American Red Cross (ARC), the Salvation Army, CERT, the Consortium for Haitian Empowerment (CHE), and others) gathered to learn about Volunteer Leadership and Management, Post-Disaster Volunteer Roles, and Incorporating Special Needs Populations into Disaster Volunteering. NYDIS’ Coordinator of Community Outreach & Training Autumn Brown co-facilitated a workshop called “Sustainable Community Networking: Participatory Leadership on the Local Level” with ARC’s Adam Runkle and CHE’s Gina Cheron. NYDIS’ Executive Director Peter Gudaitis, and Director of Recovery Maggie Jarry, also spoke about the role of faith-based volunteers in Recovery.

:: NYDIS Announces 2007 Advocacy Priorities

Each year, the NYDIS Board of Directors sets five Advocacy Priorities, which the Advocacy Committee and staff use to guide program initiatives. In 2007, NYDIS will continue to collaborate with partner agencies to 1) prepare editorials and research reports; 2) host inter-agency conferences and educational events; 3) mediate dialogue between faith, government, and victims' community leaders; and 4) organize community forums and press conferences.

Download the Disaster Advocacy brochure from the NYDIS website:
www.nydis.org/materials/brochure/NYDIS_Disaster_Advocacy_04.12.07.pdf

For more information about NYDIS’ Disaster Advocacy initiatives:
Maggie Jarry
212.669.6105
mjarry@nydis.org

:: NYC 9/11 Recovery Resources Online

:: NYC 9/11 Unmet Needs Roundtable Updates

• Online 9/11 Client Inquiry Form
  To access the form, go to:
  www.nydis.org/unmetneeds/7.php

• NYC 9/11 In-Service Training for Case Workers
  In-Service Training is required for case workers who have never presented a case at the Roundtable, and is recommended as a refresher for experienced case workers who have previously presented cases. All training sessions take place at NYDIS (map).

  • Monday, June 4 – 1:00-3:30 pm
  • Monday, July 2 – 1:00-3:30 pm

• NYC 9/11 Unmet Needs Roundtable Schedule
  The NYC 9/11 Unmet Needs Roundtable brings together donors with agencies providing case management to 9/11 victims. Case Workers who would like to present a case must sign-up by Friday prior to the meeting of the Roundtable. Due to the influx of cases which need presenting, the 9/11 Unmet Needs Roundtable will be adding an additional Wednesday date each month. There will now be three meetings a month, instead of two.

  • Wednesday, May 9 – 9:30 am-12:00 noon
  • Thursday, May 17 – 9:30 am-12:00 noon
  • Wednesday, May 23 – 9:30 am-12:00 noon
  • Thursday, June 7 – 9:30 am-12:00 noon
  • Wednesday, June 13 – 9:30 am-12:00 noon
  • Thursday, June 21 – 9:30 am-12:00 noon

• NYC 9/11 Case Management Coordination Meetings
  NYDIS hosts monthly Case Management Coordination meetings for service providers that are assisting 9/11 recovery workers and the general 9/11-affected community. These meetings are open to representatives from any service providers that wish to coordinate and share information about their services and the community's needs.

  • Wednesday, May 16 - 9:30-11:00 am
  • Wednesday, June 6 – 9:30-11:00 am
  • Wednesday, July 25 – 3:00-5:00 pm

:: NYC Katrina Evacuee Resources Online

:: NYC Katrina Unmet Needs Roundtable

• NYC Katrina In-Service Training for Case Workers
  Case managers working with Katrina or Rita survivors are required to attend an in-service training prior to presenting at the Roundtable. The purpose of these trainings is to provide case managers with a better understanding of the workings of the Roundtable and to help increase the likelihood that a client's needs could be funded.


• NYC Katrina Unmet Needs Roundtable
  The NYC Katrina Unmet Needs Roundtable aids case managers in securing cash assistance and to share resources to best meet the unmet needs of disaster victims so that they may regain self-sufficiency and recover from the impact of a disaster. The Roundtable helps to facilitate long-term recovery by supporting clients' recovery plans. Case managers who would like to present at the NYC Katrina Unmet Needs Roundtable may submit a request the Friday prior to the Roundtable meeting.

  • Tuesday, May 22 – 2:00-5:00 pm
  • Tuesday, June 5 – 12:00 noon-2:00 pm
  • Tuesday, June 19 – 2:00-5:00 pm

To sign up for In-Service Training or to present a case:
Dominique Atchison, Moderator
212.669.6120
datchison@nydis.org

:: 9/11 Workers' Compensation Registration Deadline Aug. 14

NYDIS urges 9/11 chaplains, recovery workers and volunteers to register now to protect their right to workers' compensation benefits. NYDIS and New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH) in collaboration with other agencies is mounting a media campaign to inform workers throughout the country about the necessity of registering by the deadline, Tuesday, August 14, 2007.

Download the brochure (pdf): English | Español

Call for registration guidelines: 866.WTC.2556

:: Thirteen NY Counties Get Federal Aid for Nor’Easter

Governor Eliot Spitzer May 4 announced that the federal government has approved NYS’s request to expand its disaster declaration. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared that communities in 12 counties are now eligible to receive federal disaster assistance for storm response costs, the repair of damaged public infrastructure and debris removal associated with the April 14-18 nor’easter. "I have directed that the state pick up the local share of these costs," said Governor Spitzer. "This was no ordinary storm and no ordinary recovery and our local communities deserve our support."

These counties are eligible for FEMA’s Public Assistance Program: Albany, Columbia, Essex, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Schoharie, Suffolk, Ulster, and Westchester. The expanded federal declaration also provides disaster recovery assistance to homeowners, renters and small businesses in Albany and Dutchess counties and the Borough of Staten Island.

Call FEMA:
800.621.3362 (Toll free number) from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, Monday-Sunday

Register for disaster assistance on-line:
www.fema.gov

Download the FEMA Disaster Aid Programs sheet: click here

Read the Governor’s May 4 Press Release:
www.ny.gov/governor/press/0504071.html

:: Updated WTC Health Registry Resource Guide

This Guide is the sixth update to the WTC Health Registry (WTCHR) Resource Guide developed by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) for people affected by 9/11. It includes information about occupational, respiratory, environmental, and mental health services and resources available in the NYC region and nationally. NYDIS is referenced on Page 12.

Download the Guide:
www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/wtc/wtc-resource.pdf

:: WTC Responders Fatality Investigation Program

Do you know of someone who responded, worked, or volunteered at the WTC site, pile, and surrounding areas, including the barges or landfills during 9/11 and has since died, regardless of cause of death? The NYS Department of Health is collecting this information to better understand the possible health effects of the WTC disaster. Any information you provide will remain confidential.

Even if you are unsure about the circumstances surrounding the death, please contact:
866.807.2130 (Toll free in NYS)
518.402.7900
WTCFatality@health.state.ny.us

Download the Fatality Reporting Questionnaire: click here

Download the Flyer: click here

www.nyhealth.gov/environmental/investigations/wtc/health_studies

:: 9/11 Families Eager for Completion of Security Bill

Family members of victims of 9/11 and former members of the commission that investigated those attacks called on Congress May 2 to quickly finish a major bill to improve the nation's security. Due in part to their pressure, House and Senate staffers have started talks on the legislation, which aims to implement unfulfilled recommendations of the commission that investigated the attacks. They were told by staff that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have a goal of sending final legislation to President Bush by the end of May and that they were frustrated that Congress has yet to conference the so-called 9/11 bill, prompting them to return to the nation's Capitol last week to meet with congressional leaders.

Read Chris Strohm’s National Journal May 2 article:
www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=36792&dcn=e_gvet

:: Maloney, Clinton, Schumer, Nadler Secure $ for 9/11 Health

Last week, Congress approved $50 million to treat people whose health was affected by 9/11, including those outside the metro area. But the funding is included in the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill, a spending bill that also sets a deadline to withdraw troops from Iraq, which President Bush has vowed to veto. "The 9/11 health crisis is an emergency on a national scale, and it requires a federal response," said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who with Rep. Vito Fossella, asked the city for the state-by-state breakdown of its registry.

Read Rep. Maloney’s April 24 Press Release:
http://maloney.house.gov/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1325&Itemid=61

:: WTC Registry Report Shows Impact of 9/11 Health Crisis

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Congressman Fossella released a report showing that people from all 50 states and the District of Columbia have enrolled in the WTC Health Registry. According to the report, thousands of Americans from throughout the country were in the immediate vicinity of Ground Zero in the months following 9/11 and have since signed up for the Registry, which will track changes in their physical and mental health over the next 20 years. The City of NY compiled the data and released it at Maloney's and Fossella's request.

Read the April 30 Press Release:
www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ny13_fossella/070430_WTC.html

Read the entire report:
http://maloney.house.gov/documents/911recovery/RegistryEnrollment20070306.pdf

• 50-State Ills: Ex-NYers Report WTC Ailments
  
  WTC illnesses are more than a NY problem - they are affecting thousands of people across the entire country, according to the new report. More than 70,000 people have enrolled in the city's WTC Health Registry. Slightly more than 10,000 are from outside the NY metro area, including people from every state in the nation. Of those, about 70% are volunteers and rescue and recovery workers who responded at the WTC site; some 20% are tourists or out-of-town business people who were in lower Manhattan at the time; and, the rest are former residents who moved away later.
  
  Read Jordan Lite’s Exclusive April 30 NY Daily News article:
  www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/04/30/2007-04-30_50state_ills-4.html

:: Senator Clinton Calls for More NYS Flood Relief

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton sent a letter to President Bush April 30 asking that he personally act to extend the major disaster declaration to the remaining counties that were hit hard by the recent Nor'easter but have not yet received the vital assistance they need. Last week, the President issued a Major Disaster Declaration for Westchester, Rockland and Orange counties, making them eligible for individual assistance, statewide hazard mitigation assistance and Small Business Administration disaster loans. However, he has not yet extended the same declaration to the remaining nine counties that were nominated by Governor Spitzer as needing assistance. She also asked that the President provide public assistance to all twelve counties impacted by the floods.

Read the Senator’s Request:
http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=273340

:: Disaster Assistance Guide for Upstate NY

This resource from FEMA is intended to help people locate assistance for needs caused by flooding in April in NYS’ Hudson Valley Region. It is organized by general services, and then by county. FEMA also opened flood-damage recovery centers in NJ, where 9 counties have been declared federal disaster areas.

Download the Hudson Valley Region Guide information: click here

For complete information on Flooding Assistance in NY and NJ, please go to the Flood Resources section of the NYDIS website:
www.nydis.org

:: NJ Floods Declared Federal Disaster

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced April 26 that federal disaster aid has been made available for NJ to help people and communities recover from the effects of severe storms and inland and coastal flooding during the period of April 14-20. Assistance was authorized under a major disaster declaration issued for the state by President Bush, making federal funding available to affected individuals in Bergen, Burlington, Essex, Passaic, Somerset, and Union counties. The assistance, to be coordinated by FEMA, can include grants to help pay for temporary housing, home repairs and other serious disaster-related expenses. Low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration also will be available to cover residential and business losses not fully compensated by insurance.

Register:
1.800.621.3362, 8:00 am-6:00 pm, Monday-Sunday

For information on assistance:
www.fema.gov/news/event.fema?id=7885

:: FEMA Offers Equipment Funding for Emergency Responders

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is accepting applications for $33.7 million in equipment and equipment training awards for first responders and other emergency responders through its 2007 Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program (CEDAP). Awards include protective equipment; chemical and biological detection tools; information technology and risk management tools; and interoperable communications equipment. The application submission period deadline is 11:59 pm EDT, May 29.

Review the program solicitation through the Responder Knowledge Base:
www.rkb.mipt.org

:: FDNY Tests New Wireless Communications System

NYC Fire Department members joined officials from the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, Port Authority Police Department and Office of Emergency Management (OEM) on April 29, to test a new wireless system designed to give first responders fast access to video and other information during emergencies. More than 100 firefighters participated in the drill at 7 WTC, just north of Ground Zero. The exercise simulated a mock high-rise fire, including an elevator rescue, scaffold rescue, 20 mock injuries and staged communication breakdowns.

Read the Press Release:
http://nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/events/2007/042907a.shtml