By Mark Leberfinger, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer
January 6,2016; 10:14PM,EST
As subfreezing temperatures have finally arrived in the northeastern United States, New York state is taking a drastic step to protect the homeless from the cold.
The homeless may be forced into shelters against their will during freezing temperatures under a new executive order issued this week by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Temperatures would have to be at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit for the provisions of the order to be used.
Those who refuse to go inside and who appear to be at risk for cold-related injuries will be involuntarily taken to a shelter, Cuomo's order states and cites a portion of the state's Mental Hygiene Law.
Cold snap drops NYC temperatures
"We're going to have safe, clean, decent shelters and that is a statewide mandate that I signed because I believe that's what New Yorkers believe, as a people. It doesn't matter if you live in Buffalo, or Albany or New York City, we believe nobody should be left to sleep on the streets," Cuomo added.
<div
style="display:none"><section><h2>Do you agree with Gov.
Cuomo's order to put homeless people into shelters against their will
during freezing temperatures?</h2><p><div>The homeless
may be forced into shelters against their will during freezing
temperatures under a new executive order issued this week by Gov. Andrew
Cuomo. Temperatures have to be at or below 32 F for the provisions of
the order to be
used.</div></p></section><section><h3>Yes.</h3></section><section><h3>No.</h3></section></div>
"Cold temperatures can cause frostbite and even hypothermia to people outdoors if they have exposed skin," Pydynowski said. "Extremities such as toes, ear lobes and hands are the farthest away from the heart with the least amount of blood flow and are most susceptible to frostbite when outdoors and exposed in bitterly cold temperatures."
RELATED:
3 ways your body battles the cold
Polar vortex to usher widespread cold, snow chances into US during mid-January
Black bears begin to den following El Nino warmth, abundant fall food supply in eastern US
Temperatures fell into the lower teens in Central Park on Tuesday morning, the lowest reading there since 4 degrees Fahrenheit on Feb. 24, 2015.
A
homeless woman, who only wanted to be identified as Lala, asks for
money on a street corner in midtown Manhattan in New York, Tuesday, Jan.
5, 2016. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)As a result of the cold blast, 97 people were placed in shelters, safe havens, hospitals and other indoor locations between Monday night and Tuesday morning, according to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. More than 100 people also went to hospital emergency rooms to get out of the cold and receive medical care.
De Blasio's office, however, said the governor's order duplicates what already is being done and may not be entirely legal, the New York Times reported.
Temperatures will moderate until mid-January before the polar vortex will usher colder air into the United States. High temperatures on one or more days in New York City could stay only in the 20s.
Stormy weather is also possible next week as several storms will have the potential to bring wintry precipitation from the interior South to the Northeast.
Al Hattlestad
Waste
of taxpayer money. Save the savings for graft and bribes as usual for
politicians and bureaucrats. Welcome to the 2-party system; of the
politicians, by the politicians, and for the politicians. With
occasional bribes for the bureaucrats who actually work the "government"
does. Pity the poor responders who get stuck with the real dirty
work.
Carol Zeller ·
i agree people who can't help themselves then others need to step in
Mary Slocum ·
Smartest most humanitarian thing you can do , some of these people are mentally ill , you have to help them
Paul Lange ·
Use those resources and manpower to create more and better shelters...
Then leave it up to the homeless as to where they want to stay.
Then leave it up to the homeless as to where they want to stay.
Tommy Guns
Sorry,
but I think the Governor has overstepped his authority. We have a right
to be secure in our persons, as well as our property. If you compel
someone to go to a shelter, you have violated his or her right to be
secure in their person. It doesn't matter if your intentions are good,
as I have no doubt his are here. What would you say if the Governor
issued an Executive Order saying that homeless persons can only be on
certain city streets after dark? Would that be okay? We do have the
right to move about freely. I'm afraid that the general police powers
that states have do not extend to violating a person's constitutional
right. Now if they are going to use the mental health law, they had
better be getting a shrink to sign off before committing a person
involuntarily to a 'shelter' or hospital. Why would it be considered
automatically crazy to not want to be in one of the unsafe shelters the
city runs?
Roger Shellard ·
Works at Retired
Sir stop living in Cloud Cookoo Land Your comment about unsafe shelters makes me ask have you personal experience??
Leigh Meyers
I'm housless in California and am originally (40 years ago) from NYC, and I applaud Cuomo's words:
"We're going to have safe, clean, decent shelters and that is a statewide mandate that I signed because I believe that's what New Yorkers believe, as a people. It doesn't matter if you live in Buffalo, or Albany or New York City, we believe nobody should be left to sleep on the streets,"
But I do have three concerns.
First, if someone refuses to go to a shelter... let's say they have a secure spot and adequate bedding to keep themselves warm, and they are forced to by mental health laws, that...See More
"We're going to have safe, clean, decent shelters and that is a statewide mandate that I signed because I believe that's what New Yorkers believe, as a people. It doesn't matter if you live in Buffalo, or Albany or New York City, we believe nobody should be left to sleep on the streets,"
But I do have three concerns.
First, if someone refuses to go to a shelter... let's say they have a secure spot and adequate bedding to keep themselves warm, and they are forced to by mental health laws, that...See More
Dave Truicki
Emboldened
by Barry Hussein, Liberal dictator-wanna-be's everywhere are flexing
the power of their Executive Order pens. Elections have consequences.
Real Look
To force people against their will is a definition of an oppressive society,
especially if majority of them are of sound mind.
We need to realize that governments are the most inefiicient and corrupt of all organizations; best to minimize their reach. It would be better and more legal to offer them shelter, but not force them into it.
From other news sources:
“The shelters are filthy. They steal from you. The food makes me sick,” Kaufman said. “We’d rather deal with the freezing cold than be in a situation like that.”
“I’ve been robbed, I’ve been assaulted, I’ve been name-called. I don’t...See More
especially if majority of them are of sound mind.
We need to realize that governments are the most inefiicient and corrupt of all organizations; best to minimize their reach. It would be better and more legal to offer them shelter, but not force them into it.
From other news sources:
“The shelters are filthy. They steal from you. The food makes me sick,” Kaufman said. “We’d rather deal with the freezing cold than be in a situation like that.”
“I’ve been robbed, I’ve been assaulted, I’ve been name-called. I don’t...See More
Nancy Bea Howard Cooper ·
Works at Retired
Only if they can bring their pets inside with them.
Carol Tolhurst
I
agree, but also another problem that exists is shopping carts the
contents of which are composed of what they feel they need to survive
and would rather stay on the street than give them up because shelters
have no places for them. My friend who has worked decades in outreach
(all weathers, under freeway passovers, throughout the night) said it's
like a photograph and as time goes by more and more faces are missing
and become John/Jane Doe. He said that all that you can do sometimes is
to gain their trust and offer them friendship. Although it's a small
offering you could take a few "beanies" hats to be distrubuted in the
shelters. Sometimes the chain sport shops will give them to you for just
a few dollars.
Lots
of the homeless are mentally incapacitated. If they don't know enough
to come out of the freezing cold, I think we should force them in order
to save their lives. They can leave the next morning.
Lot of homeless people END UP 'mentally incapacitated'.
That's an end result of disenfranchisement, including their criminalization, from the community. What would you say if I told you the town I live at (California coastal college town south of San Francisco) INTENTIONALLY disenfranchised their working communtiy members in the 'rush to gentrification', and now the town is overwhelmed with drug and alcohol problems, and the psycholgoical damage resulting from that. 70% of the homeless here are either from this town, or were working and housed here when they became homeless, and the town not only did less than squat about it, they criminalized almost every behavior they might do in their search to survive, and the local yellow journal/birdcage liner of a 'newspaper' uses that end result as a straw man for anti-homeless related 'news'.
That's an end result of disenfranchisement, including their criminalization, from the community. What would you say if I told you the town I live at (California coastal college town south of San Francisco) INTENTIONALLY disenfranchised their working communtiy members in the 'rush to gentrification', and now the town is overwhelmed with drug and alcohol problems, and the psycholgoical damage resulting from that. 70% of the homeless here are either from this town, or were working and housed here when they became homeless, and the town not only did less than squat about it, they criminalized almost every behavior they might do in their search to survive, and the local yellow journal/birdcage liner of a 'newspaper' uses that end result as a straw man for anti-homeless related 'news'.
No comments:
Post a Comment