Precarious Lives on Shaky Ground for Migrants and Homeless in New York City

The devastating flooding that swept through New York City last Friday has left many reeling, and for good reason. The severe weather has exposed the dire living conditions of migrants and the homeless, who are often forced to live in precarious situations that leave them vulnerable to the unpredictable whims of nature. Among those most affected are those who reside in basement apartments, where rising waters and unexpected deluges can be disastrous.

As the city scrambled to respond to the crisis, Mayor Eric Adams’ comments from the previous day seemed all the more incongruous. Speaking on WABC’s Sid & Friends In the Morning talkshow, Adams expressed his belief that migrants should be excluded from New York’s right-to-shelter mandate, a policy that requires the city to provide shelter beds to anyone in need. The mayor’s stance was met with outrage from advocates for the homeless, who argued that the utter disregard for human life was unacceptable.

For Will Watts, deputy executive director for advocacy at the Coalition for the Homeless, the mayor’s remarks were unconscionable. “The current flooding we’re experiencing is just another reminder of how critical the right to shelter is,” Watts lamented to the Guardian. “It’s essential to ensure that more individuals, families, and children are not relegated to the streets, subjected to inclement weather that can lead to serious injury or even death.”

As the city’s residents struggled to come to terms with the aftermath of the flood, Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Adams issued a state of emergency urging people to stay indoors. The plea for caution was well-timed, given the treacherous conditions that still lingered in the wake of the storm. Those living in basement apartments, in particular, were left shaken, with many struggling to access emergency services or reliable information about the flood’s impact on their communities.

In response, the Tenant Advocacy Organization Basement Apartments Safe for Everyone (Base) renewed its calls for a basement apartment legalization program, arguing that such a measure would provide crucial flood protections and better emergency outreach to residents living in the most affected areas. “Today’s heavy rainfalls and flash flooding are predictable emergencies,” the organization stated, “yet the City and State remain unprepared to protect New Yorkers – especially those living in basement apartments.”

As the city begins to rebuild and recover, one thing is clear: the struggle for affordable housing and basic human dignity must take center stage. The lives of migrants and the homeless are inherently precarious, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that they are protected from the whims of nature and the inconsistencies of those in power.