ARC/GNY was busy on many fronts--particularly in the Northern Tier --responding to floods and flood-related emergencies.

As flooding began in Orange County on Friday night, Disaster Services and volunteer staff, in conjunction with the Orange/Sullivan Chapter, opened a shelter in Port Jervis for people forced from their homes. One-hundred-eighty-four people were registered at the shelter and 52 people were housed there on Sunday night. Monday night 49 people used the shelter, nine of them recently evacuated from the Goshen area. The shelter will be closed on Tuesday, April 5.

On Saturday night ARC/GNY opened another shelter in Monticello (Sullivan County) and 103 people registered there. Only 19 people remained on Sunday night, and the shelter was closed on Monday. ACR/GNY has opened a service center in Port Jervis to do follow up and outreach teams will assist residents in both Orange and Sullivan Counties. The Westchester County chapter was able to send four volunteers in response to the request for additional assistance.

ARC/GNY representatives will begin damage assessment today which will help determine the scope of the assistance required. ARC/GNY will also participate in a Community Recovery meeting taking place in the area today to start the long-term recovery process.

In addition to these weather-related events, Disaster Services staff and volunteers assisted at a power outage at the Baruch Housing Complex on Manhattan's Lower Eastside. Con Ed was able to quickly restore power in all buildings but one which is being served by an emergency generator.

Between Friday and Sunday midnight, ARC/GNY also responded to 27 incidents in the five New York City boroughs--24 of them were fires. We were able to assist 177 people who were affected.

On another front, Scott Graham, Chief Response Officer, is participating as an observer in TOPOFF 3, the major week-long antiterrorism drill which is being coordinated by The US Department of Homeland Security.