La temporada de huracanes se extiende hasta noviembre. “Desarrollar la resiliencia financiera es una parte crucial de la preparación para los desastres climáticos”, dijo Theodora Makris del Center for NYC Neighborhoods. Esto puede incluir contratar un seguro contra inundaciones y crear un fondo de emergencia.

Daños causados tras el paso del huracán Ida en septiembre de 2021 en Woodside, Queens. (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

Este artículo se publicó originalmente en inglés el 7 de agosto. Traducido por Victoria Moran Garcia. Read the English version here.

La temporada de huracanes, que comenzó el 1 de junio y dura hasta finales de noviembre, está en pleno apogeo en la Gran Manzana y es un buen momento para que los neoyorquinos protejan sus bienes.

“Desarrollar la resiliencia financiera es una parte crucial de la preparación para los desastres climáticos”, dijo Theodora Makris, directora sénior de programas del Center for NYC Neighborhoods (CNYCN por sus siglas en inglés).

Makris explica que contratar un seguro contra inundaciones, sobre el que puede obtener más información aquí, y crear un fondo de emergencia antes de la próxima gran tormenta es la mejor manera de proteger su hogar de un fenómeno meteorológico extremo. Y los neoyorquinos están acostumbrados a las tormentas violentas. 

Este verano ya han caído dos lluvias torrenciales sobre la ciudad de Nueva York. Hace unas semanas, se estimó que cayeron en Nueva York dos pulgadas de lluvia por hora, inundando el tren y deteniendo el tráfico. Una tormenta similar unas semanas antes dejó impactantes vídeos de agua brotando por las plataformas de las estaciones de transporte público, dejando a los viajeros atrapados de camino a casa después del trabajo.

No es la primera vez que Nueva York se enfrenta a fenómenos meteorológicos extremos. Algunos barrios aún están llevando a cabo trabajos de recuperación tras la devastación causada por el huracán Sandy, que azotó la ciudad hace 13 años este otoño. 

Y el recuerdo del huracán Ida, que llegó a Nueva York en 2021 y trajo más de siete pulgadas de lluvia en un periodo de 24 horas en algunas partes de la ciudad, sigue fresco en la memoria de muchos neoyorquinos. La tormenta dejó 13 muertos, 11 de los cuales se ahogaron en apartamentos situados en sótanos.

Las predicciones para este año también son desalentadoras.

La cuenca atlántica se enfrentará a una temporada de huracanes “por encima de lo normal” según un reciente informe de previsión para 2025 elaborado por la Administración Nacional Oceánica y Atmosférica (NOAA por sus siglas en inglés).

La agencia prevé que este año se produzcan entre 13 y 19 tormentas en total, con vientos de 39 millas por hora o más. De ellas, “se prevé que entre seis y diez se conviertan en huracanes” con “vientos de 74 millas por hora o más”, según nota el informe. Esto incluye entre tres y cinco huracanes importantes de categoría tres, cuatro o cinco con vientos de 111 millas por hora o más. 

Mientras tanto, el gobierno federal ha estado retirando fondos de la Agencia Federal para el Manejo de Emergencias (FEMA por sus siglas en inglés) destinados a proteger a las ciudades de todo el país de las grandes tormentas. 

La agencia acaba de cerrar su programa Construyendo Infraestructuras y Comunidades Resilientes (BRIC por sus siglas en inglés) que le dio a Nueva York más de $380 millones para proyectos de infraestructura clave para salvaguardar los vecindarios de catástrofes climáticas.

El presidente Donald Trump también dijo en Truth Social que FEMA “debería desaparecer”, ya que la agencia “ha sido lenta y totalmente ineficaz”, argumentando que “los estados individuales deberían gestionar las tormentas, etc., a medida que se producen” sin apoyo federal. 

Con un apoyo inestable a nivel federal y 1.3 millones de neoyorquinos viviendo en o cerca de una llanura aluvial, los residentes deberían tener un plan preparado con antelación sobre cómo protegerse de futuras tormentas.

Aquí hay algunos consejos de CNYCN y agencias de la ciudad sobre lo que los propietarios e inquilinos pueden hacer para proteger sus hogares de un desastre:

Obtenga un seguro contra inundaciones. El gobierno federal es el mayor proveedor de Estados Unidos a través del Programa Nacional de Seguros contra Inundaciones, ya que pocas empresas privadas lo ofrecen. Tanto los propietarios como los inquilinos pueden hacer clic aquí para obtener un presupuesto para su propiedad y encontrar el mejor seguro para usted. Y aquí hay un folleto con más información para los inquilinos que desean contratar un seguro contra inundaciones. 

Haga un recuento de lo que posee. Cree un inventario actualizado de lo que hay en su casa y cuánto cuesta. Cuando ocurre un desastre, puede informar de los daños al Portal de Recuperación de Viviendas de la Ciudad de Nueva York, un recurso administrado por la oficina del alcalde que ayuda a los neoyorquinos a acceder a la asistencia de recuperación ante desastres para reparar y reconstruir sus hogares.

Manténgase informado.  Regístrese en NotifyNYC para recibir alertas meteorológicas y actualizaciones por mensaje de texto cada vez que se produzca un evento severo o una emergencia.

Evalúe su riesgo de inundación. Si es propietario de una vivienda y tiene ingresos bajos o moderados, utilice FloodHelpNY para averiguar (de forma gratuita) cuál es su riesgo de inundación.

Realice mejoras resistentes a las inundaciones. Eleve los equipos mecánicos, como los sistemas de climatización y los electrodomésticos, del suelo para que no se estropeen durante una inundación, y selle los puntos de entrada por donde pueda filtrarse el agua. Consulte el programa Resilient Retrofits del estado, que ofrece préstamos a bajo interés y subvenciones para ayudar a los propietarios de viviendas en zonas propensas a las inundaciones a proteger sus hogares.

Busque ayuda federal después de una tormenta. Aunque los fondos de FEMA se están agotando, si hay una declaración presidencial de desastre después de un evento climático catastrófico, puede consultar si califica para recibir asistencia federal aquí.

Para ponerse en contacto con la reportera de esta noticia, escriba a Mariana@citylimits.org. Para ponerse en contacto con la editora, escriba a Jeanmarie@citylimits.org.

The post Es temporada de huracanes en Nueva York. Estos consejos te ayudarán a proteger tu hogar. appeared first on City Limits.

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE, Associated Press

Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.

The 61-page complaint filed in Texas federal court follows through on a threat that Musk made two weeks ago when he accused Apple of unfairly favoring OpenAI and ChatGPT in the iPhone’s app store rankings for top AI apps.

Musk’s post insinuated that Apple had rigged the system against ChatGPT competitors such as the Grok chatbot made by his own xAI. Now, he is detailing a litany of grievances in the lawsuit — filed by xAI and another of his corporate entities, X Corp. — in an attempt to win monetary damages and a court order prohibiting the alleged illegal tactics.

The double-barreled legal attack weaves together several recently unfolding narratives to recast a year-old partnership between Apple and OpenAI as a veiled conspiracy to stifle competition during a technological shift that could prove as revolutionary as the 2007 release of the iPhone.

“This is a tale of two monopolists joining forces to ensure their continued dominance in a world rapidly driven by the most powerful technology humanity has ever created: artificial intelligence,” the lawsuit asserts.

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The complaint portrays Apple as a company that views AI as an “existential threat” to its future success, prompting it to collude with OpenAI in an attempt to protect the iPhone franchise that has long been its biggest moneymaker.

Some of the allegations accusing Apple of trying to shield the iPhone from do-everything “super apps,” such as the one Musk has long been trying to create with X, echo an antitrust lawsuit filed against Apple last year by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The complaint casts OpenAI as a threat to humanity bent on putting profits before public safety as it tries to build on its phenomenal growth since the late 2022 release of ChatGPT. The depiction mirrors one already being drawn in another federal lawsuit that Musk filed last year, alleging OpenAI had betrayed its founding mission to serve as a nonprofit research lab for the public good.

OpenAI has countered with a lawsuit against Musk accusing him of harassment — an allegation that the company cited in its response to Monday’s antitrust lawsuit. “This latest filing is consistent with Mr. Musk’s ongoing pattern of harassment,” OpenAI said in a statement.

Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The crux of the lawsuit revolves around Apple’s decision to use ChatGPT as an AI-powered “answer engine” on the iPhone when the built-in technology on its device couldn’t satisfy user needs. The partnership announced last year was part of Apple’s late entry into the AI race that was supposed to be powered mostly by its own on-device technology, but the company still hasn’t been able to deliver on all its promises.

Apple’s own AI shortcomings may be helping drive more usage of ChatGPT on the iPhone, providing OpenAI with invaluable data that’s unavailable to Grok and other would-be competitors because it’s currently an exclusive partnership.

The alliance has provided Apple with an incentive to improperly elevate ChatGPT in the AI rankings of the iPhone’s app store, the lawsuit alleges. Other AI apps from DeekSeek and Perplexity have periodically reached the top spot in the Apple app store’s AI rankings in at least some parts of the world since Apple announced its deal with ChatGPT.

The lawsuit doesn’t mention the potential threat that ChatGPT could also pose to Apple and the iPhone’s future popularity. As part of its expansion efforts, OpenAI recruited former Apple designer Jony Ive to oversee a project aimed at building an AI-powered device that many analysts believe could eventually mount a challenge to the iPhone.

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE, Associated Press

Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.

The 61-page complaint filed in Texas federal court follows through on a threat that Musk made two weeks ago when he accused Apple of unfairly favoring OpenAI and ChatGPT in the iPhone’s app store rankings for top AI apps.

Musk’s post insinuated that Apple had rigged the system against ChatGPT competitors such as the Grok chatbot made by his own xAI. Now, he is detailing a litany of grievances in the lawsuit — filed by xAI and another of his corporate entities, X Corp. — in an attempt to win monetary damages and a court order prohibiting the alleged illegal tactics.

The double-barreled legal attack weaves together several recently unfolding narratives to recast a year-old partnership between Apple and OpenAI as a veiled conspiracy to stifle competition during a technological shift that could prove as revolutionary as the 2007 release of the iPhone.

“This is a tale of two monopolists joining forces to ensure their continued dominance in a world rapidly driven by the most powerful technology humanity has ever created: artificial intelligence,” the lawsuit asserts.

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The complaint portrays Apple as a company that views AI as an “existential threat” to its future success, prompting it to collude with OpenAI in an attempt to protect the iPhone franchise that has long been its biggest moneymaker.

Some of the allegations accusing Apple of trying to shield the iPhone from do-everything “super apps,” such as the one Musk has long been trying to create with X, echo an antitrust lawsuit filed against Apple last year by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The complaint casts OpenAI as a threat to humanity bent on putting profits before public safety as it tries to build on its phenomenal growth since the late 2022 release of ChatGPT. The depiction mirrors one already being drawn in another federal lawsuit that Musk filed last year, alleging OpenAI had betrayed its founding mission to serve as a nonprofit research lab for the public good.

OpenAI has countered with a lawsuit against Musk accusing him of harassment — an allegation that the company cited in its response to Monday’s antitrust lawsuit. “This latest filing is consistent with Mr. Musk’s ongoing pattern of harassment,” OpenAI said in a statement.

Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The crux of the lawsuit revolves around Apple’s decision to use ChatGPT as an AI-powered “answer engine” on the iPhone when the built-in technology on its device couldn’t satisfy user needs. The partnership announced last year was part of Apple’s late entry into the AI race that was supposed to be powered mostly by its own on-device technology, but the company still hasn’t been able to deliver on all its promises.

Apple’s own AI shortcomings may be helping drive more usage of ChatGPT on the iPhone, providing OpenAI with invaluable data that’s unavailable to Grok and other would-be competitors because it’s currently an exclusive partnership.

The alliance has provided Apple with an incentive to improperly elevate ChatGPT in the AI rankings of the iPhone’s app store, the lawsuit alleges. Other AI apps from DeekSeek and Perplexity have periodically reached the top spot in the Apple app store’s AI rankings in at least some parts of the world since Apple announced its deal with ChatGPT.

The lawsuit doesn’t mention the potential threat that ChatGPT could also pose to Apple and the iPhone’s future popularity. As part of its expansion efforts, OpenAI recruited former Apple designer Jony Ive to oversee a project aimed at building an AI-powered device that many analysts believe could eventually mount a challenge to the iPhone.

As the Trump administration ramps up its deportation efforts through courthouse arrests, more migrant youth — many of whom are, or were recently, living in city shelters — are seeking guidance on how to navigate their immigration hearings.

Immigration officers outside 26 Federal Plaza in June. (Ayman Siam/Office of NYC Comptroller)

After his immigration hearing ended in August, what the 21-year-old from Guinea feared most happened. At the exit door, agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stopped him and asked for his documents.

Upon entering the courtroom earlier, he had seen ICE agents patrolling the halls of 26 Federal Plaza, where they’ve been targeting immigrants appearing for routine hearings for arrest and deportation.

“I started shivering, because I’m not used to being detained like that,” the 21-year-old said. 

City Limits is withholding his identity as he fears it could jeopardize his petition for Special Immigrant Juvenile status, which protects qualifying minors from deportation and allows them to work. “I gave [my documents] to them, and they went through the list. They didn’t see my name, so they went through it for the second time.”

During those moments, one of the volunteers accompanying the young man to court held his hand and moved closer to him, in case agents moved to arrest him.

“They didn’t see my name, so they let me go,” the 21-year-old recounted. “When I entered the elevator, I was feeling like a big relief getting off me, because at that moment I thought I was going directly [to detention].”

Since late May, when the Trump administration ramped up its deportation efforts by targeting those showing up for scheduled immigration hearings, young migrants—many of whom are, or were recently, living in city shelters—are seeking guidance on how to prepare. They’ve expressed fear of appearing in person at court, and uncertainty over what to do if they are arrested.

Many of them are turning to the city’s youth-centered organizations for help, which have seen demand for their services increase quickly as they struggle to represent everyone who needs it.

“The numbers have just—we can’t keep up,” said Beth Baltimore, the deputy director of the legal services center at The Door, a nonprofit in Manhattan.

Previously, The Door would see just a couple of people during its weekly hour-long legal clinic, Baltimore said. Now, they see more than 20 people on average in about two hours.

On a visit in mid-August, City Limits observed 17 young people attend the clinic, where paralegals, attorneys, social workers, and volunteers spread out across five round tables that were always busy.

The scene during a recent legal clinic at The Door, a nonprofit youth services organization. (Daniel Parra/City Limits)

“We’re unable to even meet with everybody at this time because there’s more people coming with really extreme fear. So people are coming and saying: ‘I’m scared to go to immigration court. What do I do?’” Baltimore said. 

So far, she said, at least two of their members have been arrested by ICE, although she believes there are more.

Earlier this month, The Door—among other New York organizations—sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and ICE for arresting migrants following check-ins at immigration courts, arguing the practice violates federal law.

Mayor Eric Adams’ administration filed an amicus brief in the case last week in support of The Door’s argument, saying courthouse arrests make the city less safe by discouraging immigrant New Yorkers from interacting with the legal system and other aspects of public life.

“No one in our city should feel forced to hide in the shadows or be afraid to use resources, and that includes sending children to school, going to a hospital when sick, calling 911 when in danger, or going to a court hearing when called upon to do so,” Adams said in a statement. 

Some of those being targeted are living in the shelter system, which saw an influx of new immigrant arrivals over the last few years, though the numbers have dropped significantly in recent months. When asked, City Hall didn’t provide a number for how many teens and young adults are currently housed in the few remaining emergency shelters for migrants. 

But as of Aug. 20, there were 56 migrants between the ages of 18 and 20 at more traditional shelters run by the Department of Homeless Services (DHS), and 223 between the ages of 21 and 24. That’s down from March of last year, when there were 852 immigrants aged 17 to 20 living in shelters.

‘Am I going to get detained too?’

Before his court appearance, the 21-year-old Guinean attended one of The Door’s legal clinic sessions, and his advocates filed a motion asking if he could attend his hearing virtually, to avoid having to appear in person. But the court turned that request down.

City Comptroller Brad Lander visiting one of The Door’s legal clinics last week. (Ayman Siam/Office of NYC Comptroller)

The day before his court date, the young man was hit by a car while riding a bike. His advocates then asked to reschedule his appearance, but were again turned down. 

“The day I went for my hearing,” the young migrant recalled, “the guy who left the [court] hall before me got detained, and I was feeling like—whoa, am I going to get detained too? Because that guy was with people, he was with his lawyer.”

A few months ago, one of his friends from the shelter system was detained after an immigration hearing. After that, the 21-year-old migrant said, he began to fear his own court date. He already knows what it’s like to be detained: Before arriving in New York City, he said he spent a few days in immigration custody after crossing the border in 2023.

Safe Horizon’s Streetwork Project, which serves runaway and homeless youth in New York City, has also noticed a rise in the number of young people seeking help with court dates and asylum applications.

“I would say we have maybe a little under a dozen young folks who specifically reached out around their court appearances,” said Sebastien Vante, associate vice president of Safe Horizon’s Streetwork Project in Harlem. They’ve begun preparations to escort young people through hearings in response to the demand.

“We’re adapting to the needs that the young people have. And this is [the] new need that’s emerging around support,” Vante explained.

‘Leading a lamb to the slaughter’

A 20-year-old from Guinea, whose name City Limits is withholding for fear of immigration repercussions, started hearing about the courthouse arrests from his high school classmates after ICE arrested a student in the Bronx in May.

The young man arrived in New York at the end of 2023, lived in adult shelters for a while, and has been attending a public school in the city to finish his high school education since September 2024. He dreams of going to college. 

Before his court date, he was torn between studying business and law; but after his experiences in immigration court, the young man said he decided he doesn’t want to be a lawyer anymore.

In July, one of his friends panicked after learning his court date had been moved up, leaving him with only a few days left to prepare. Shortly thereafter, the 20-year-old checked his own court date out of curiosity: it had also been moved up, from early 2026 to August. 

A couple of days before he was due to appear, the young man’s family messaged to inform him that his mother, back in West Africa, was hospitalized and in a coma.

Hours later, this news—on top of the compounding fear of going to court in less than 48 hours—prompted the 20-year-old to run away in the middle of the night from the studio apartment where he lived with three other friends.

Early in the morning, he texted his mentor, Angel, an advocate for runaway and homeless youth (who asked City Limits to identify him by his first name only). “While I’m like this, I breathe with difficulty, and I’d rather kill myself than go back to Guinea… I don’t know what to do with my life. It’s torture,” the young man wrote. 

After reading the message, Angel and Charlotte Soehner, director of youth services with an organization called Resources, Opportunities, Connections & Community (ROCC NYC), urged him to come back home and attend his court hearing.

“I know what the right thing to do was, but there was that part of me, too, that was like, am I leading a lamb to the slaughter here? Like, maybe he’s not that wrong, but I knew what we had to do,” Angel said. 

Soehner said that they prepared a motion asking the court to change the young man’s hearing to a virtual appearance, but that request wasn’t granted, so advocates moved fast to prepare his case. They joined a large group, including local officials and faith leaders, to escort him in and out of court. Even his English teacher’s mother came. 

New York City Council members and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams at a press conference last week calling on ICE to release Brooklyn high school student Mamadou Mouctar Diallo. (John McCarten/NYC Council Media Unit)

He isn’t the only New York City public school student navigating the threat of ICE. Over the last two months, the enforcement agency’s New York City field office (which includes Long Island and other regions outside the five boroughs) has arrested dozens of immigrant children. That includes a 6-year-old enrolled at P.S. 89 in Queens who was deported alongside her mother last week, news site THE CITY reported. 

A spokesperson for New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) said via email that the department “stands with all of our students, and we are committed to supporting every child and family in our system.” 

“When we hear about a family that is being detained, we have—with their permission— connected them with community and agency partners who can offer legal support and other resources,” the spokesperson added. “We want to reassure all families: our schools are safe, welcoming places, and we encourage you to continue sending your children to school, where they are cared for and valued.”

When asked if they are keeping track of how many of their students have been arrested, detained, or deported, NYCPS did not provide details.

Both young men who spoke to City Limits acknowledged that they were fortunate not to get arrested by ICE. Some of their peers are now experiencing the same panic they both felt before their own court dates, they said.

“It’s so unfair that kids who get lucky in meeting advocates have such an advantage in visibility around their case,” Soehner said. “And for all of the [young migrants] who have Brad Lander, and Beth, and Angel there, there are hundreds whose stories are not known, and it shouldn’t be that way.”

To reach the reporter behind this story, contact Daniel@citylimits.org. To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org

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The post ‘Really Extreme Fear’: Advocates See Uptick in Young Migrants Afraid to Go to Court appeared first on City Limits.