Floyd Bennett Field HERRC prepares to open for migrant families
Photo by Dean Moses
On Monday afternoon, workers at Floyd Bennett Field’s Runway 19 were still putting the final touches on the newest tent city, which is expected to welcome some 500 families in the coming days as New York resources run thin.
Officially known as the Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers (HERRC), this latest Brooklyn effort to accommodate the flood of humanity being bussed into the Big Apple differs significantly from its Randall’s Island and Queens counterparts since this time it houses families and not merely single males. Instead of row upon row of low-hanging cots, groups of temporary beds are situated inside of doored dividers referred to as “pods.”
According to city officials, these meager rooms can be locked and will host a light fixture and several power outlets.
Only several feet wide, these “pods” hold just enough room for sleeping arrangements and a small space to walk. However, like similar sites elsewhere, the facility will also house a 24/7 kitchen and dining area, bathrooms, and an arrival center where people are screened and provided with vaccines and medical care. Additionally, security guards will be posted at the site to ensure unauthorized visitors do not gain access to the HERRC.
This is all constructed on a Marine Park airfield landing strip, at a driving distance from storefronts or neighborhoods as the city struggles to find locations fit to meet the needs of thousands of human beings.
“We’re doing the best we can to find placements for folks,” Commissioner of New York City Emergency Management Zachary Iscol said. “It’s a terrible situation. It is what it is, now being over a year into this humanitarian crisis.”
According to Iscol, the city has taken over 130,000 people into care since April 2022, with some 65,000 people still being housed.
“We’re out of room and we’re doing everything we can to keep up with…
Read the full article here
