Int. No. 2086
By Council Members Van Bramer, Kallos and Chin
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the office of emergency management to consider certain factors when determining the circumstances warranting the opening of cooling centers
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Chapter 1 of title 30 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 30-117 to read as follows:
§ 30-117. Cooling center operations. a. Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
Cooling center. The term “cooling center” means any facility that is designated by the city to provide air-conditioned relief to the public whenever extreme heat conditions trigger a citywide emergency response.
Heat index. The term “heat index” means a measurement of the combined air temperature and relative humidity that estimates the human-perceived equivalent temperature.
b. When determining the circumstances and conditions that warrant the opening of cooling centers for the public, including the heat index, the office of emergency management must consider the availability of alternative public and private spaces available to be utilized by vulnerable individuals seeking relief from extreme heat. Such consideration must include whether any such spaces are temporarily closed due to a public health emergency or other extenuating circumstance.
2. This local law takes effect immediately.
JDK
LS #15850
9/4/2020