NYC mayor relocates migrant tent city over flooding concerns 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on Monday that the temporary site used to relocate the hundreds of migrants coming from the border area will be relocated closer to Manhattan over flooding concerns. 

At the end of September, Mayor Adams announced plans to set up “Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers,” for the thousands of migrants arriving from Texas into the city every day. “Tent city,” as the project is often referred to, will house large tents that will operate as intake centers and provide housing for the newcomers. 

Critics had voiced concerns over potential flooding at the original site of the project at Orchard Beach in the Bronx. After a weekend of storms in the Big Apple, the emergency shelter site experienced minor flooding, just as they had predicted.

The city decided to move tent city to Randall’s Island, located between Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx. The city plans to open the new site in “approximately the same timeframe” as the original location and plans to start operating by the end of next week. 

"Following this weekend's storms, New York City Emergency Management determined that, while we would be able to put in place the necessary ponding mitigation measures, relocating the Orchard Beach humanitarian relief center to Randall's Island is the most efficient and effective path forward, and work is underway to make this move," Adams said.

"This new location is less prone to flooding, is closer to public transportation, and will provide temporary respite to 500 asylum seekers," he added. 

New York City has welcomed more than 10,000 migrants who were bused from Texas to the Big Apple since April. Adams said the city has "safely and efficiently provided shelter, health care, education and a host of other services" to more than 16,000 asylum seekers over the last few months.