NYC NOW - Midday News: Mamdani Proposes Mental Health Agency, Advocates Rally Over Cross Bronx Expressway Replacement, and Can We Expect More Earthquakes?

Episode Date: August 11, 2025

Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani wants to create a new city agency to handle mental health and violence prevention work currently overseen by the NYPD funded with more than a billion dollars in re-allocated and new money. Meanwhile, environmental justice groups are rallying Monday against Governor Hochul's plan to build a temporary replacement for the Cross Bronx Expressway. Plus, after a series of recent earthquakes in the tri-state area, we turn to fault analyst Alexander Gates to help us understand what's really going on and whether we should be concerned.

Welcome to NYC Now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Monday, August 11th. Here's the midday news from Michael Hill. New York City mayoral candidate Zerom Dundani is proposing a new department to take over the mental health and violence prevention work. The NYPD has always handled. Mbondani says more than a billion dollars are reallocated

and new money would fund this agency. agency. Former NYPD inspector, Kenneth Quicks, says many officers would welcome this shift. Right now, NYPD officers get leaned on because they're fast to show up. In the grand scheme of government operations, right? Like, what other government agency can you call and they'll be at your house in less than five minutes? Mom, Donnie's plan would keep current policing staffing while hiring social workers and outreach teams. The Queen's Assembly member is facing off against incumbent Mayor Adam. former Governor Andrew Cuomo, Guardian Angels founder Curtis Lewa and Jim Whelan, in a crowded general election. And right-imald justice advocates are rallying against Governor Hogle today over her plan for the Cross Bronx Expressway.

State officials plan to build a temporary replacement highway while they fix up the old structure. Sothea Sanchez is with the Stop, the Cross Bronx Expansion Coalition. He says the plan will worsen the health of many neighborhoods in the borough. You know, our borough already suffers from the highest asthma rates due to dangerous air quality. For 17 years in a row, the Bronx has ranked the last in health outcomes citywide. Advocates say they support a proposal by the city's transportation department to cap parts of the highway and add more green space. The cross Bronx was built in the mid-20th century and completely raised neighborhoods across the borough. We're at 84 and sunny now with an air quality alert sunny and hot today a high of 88.

Stay tuned for more after the break. U.S.S. Earthwakes are shaking the tri-state area, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, or so we think they are. Thousands of New Yorkers and New Jerseyans reported feeling the earthquakes we had this month, and at least people wondering, are there actually more? And should we worry? With us now is Alexander Gates. He's a professor at Rutgers University, and he specializes in fault analysis, and he's going to help us understand what's really going on.

So, Alexander, are we having more earthquakes? Are we indeed having more? Absolutely. This has been, we've had seismographs, you know, modern seismographs in the area since 1975. And up between 1975 and 2024, we had a total of 350 Earth. earthquakes in the area, and in 24 alone we had 212, and we have 24 so far this year, so we are absolutely at a high point in earthquake production. What is causing this, Alexander? Well, we, you know, obviously we can't say for sure, but we did an analysis of this and found that there is actually a cycle for earthquakes, that you get more earthquakes

on about a 40-year cycle. So back in the mid-80s, we had more earthquakes then as well. And then in between, we had very few earthquakes, and now all of a sudden we're having a lot of earthquakes again. What accounts for this cyclical behavior like this? Well, that we don't know. I mean, there are many things that could be. I mean, it may just be a natural cycle in the earth itself,

or it could be, you know, distance from astronomical bodies that maybe when they get closer, it puts more stress on the area. But we're not sure, but we do. All we know is that we see a cycle that's running about every 40 years. And what should we think of them? Can our relatively old buildings and infrastructure can they handle this quaker? Well, you know, the last time we had a very big earthquake before the one in April 5th,

2024 was in 1884. So we usually get these bigger ones every about 100 years. So we were actually overdue. And the one in 1884 was centered in Jamaica Bay, and it actually toppled the steeple in Raway, New Jersey,

pulled houses off their foundations around the area, and knocked chimneys over. So it actually was quite a bit stronger than the one we had last year. So we are capable of getting bigger earthquakes than we've had. Should, not to cause any alarm, but is there anything New York City area officials should be considering if we know we're living through a period of more seismic activity?

And when I mean by this, I'm talking about in terms of revising building codes to make them like perhaps building codes in San Francisco and other places that are prone to have these tremors. Well, newer buildings are pretty much, they are usually built with enough, you know, precaution that, you know, they could withstand the types of earthquakes that we've had in historical times anyway around here. And the older buildings certainly can be damaged. What we can do about that, you know, is there's really not much besides a major overhaul to improve the older buildings. buildings. One thing we have to worry about, they did a big study in New York City back in, you know,

probably it was early 2000s, where they looked at because a paper came out where they looked where they did a mathematical modeling study and decided that we could get a magnitude seven every 3,500 years. And the magnitude 7 would kill numerous people and cause huge amounts of damage. However, we really don't have any evidence that Magnitude 7 has ever struck this area before. So it's more theoretical than it is practical. And what we're saying this morning is fingers crossed. Our guest has been Professor Alexander Gates. Thank you for joining us. My pleasure. Thanks for listening. This is NYC now from WMYC. Catch us every weekday three times a day for your top news headlines and occasional

deep dives and subscribe wherever you get your podcast. More soon.