![]() At the daytime, the law requires the temperature to be below 55 degrees outside for the heat to be regulated in apartment units, which becomes an issue if the temperature drops later.Ĭarrion said that most of the 620,000 violations that the Department of Housing Preservation and Development reported in 2021 were heat-related and that the department received 500,000 complaints that same year. He also noted that New York City’s Heat Law only required that an apartment be kept at 62 degrees at night, regardless of the outdoor temperature, which Commissioner Carrion recognized as an issue. Torres observed that there was no automatic coordination between state and city agencies, and recommended that the attending leaders review their system for better results. Representative Ritchie Torres, a member of the committee whose 15th congressional district includes the South Bronx, challenged the guest speakers on several inconsistencies during the hearing and received many approving nods from the audience. They tried to cover it up, but I will never forget.” “I hope I will be able to get over this over time, but right now I am constantly worried. “I sleep with my door unlocked and put my clothes for the next day by my bed, just in case I need to run out of the apartment,” Clayton said. Credits: Juliette Gaudemer, for NY City Lens She continues to live in the complex, in another apartment, while making a few adjustments to her routines.įrom left to right: RuthAnne Visnauskas, Laura Kavanagh, Vanessa Gibson, Sandra Clayton and Adolfo Carrion. Two panels of guests and elected officials from other states spoke before the committee to discuss why low-income New Yorkers depend on portable heaters, and what role agencies play in ensuring the protection of public housing residents.Ĭlayton said she and all of her neighbors kept space heaters in their apartments to stay warm. Also attending the hearing were Adolfo Carrion, a commissioner for the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development Laura Kavanagh, commissioner of the New York Fire Department and RuthAnne Visnauskas, chief executive officer and commissioner of the New York State Home and Community Renewal. The House panel held the hearing to explore how to improve fire safety in federally assisted housing. Clayton lost her dog, Mocha, in the blaze, suffered a leg injury, and was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. House Committee on Financial Services at Bronx Community College. Clayton recounted her experience that day – in which 17 people died in a fire inside her building – at a hearing on April 20 of the U.S. Then she heard the screams and saw the thick, black smoke pouring in from under her door. Sandra Clayton, a 26-year resident of the Twin Parks North West apartments in the Bronx, wasn’t alarmed by the commotion on the morning of Jan. 9 blaze that killed 17 residents as it seeks to improve fire safety in federally assisted housing ![]()
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