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"It’s the abuse and violence at Rikers that have received the most attention. But there’s another dimension to the ongoing disaster there: the dangerous environmental conditions. Rikers is built on a landfill. The ground underneath the facilities is unstable and the decomposing garbage emits poisonous methane gas. In addition to extreme heat and poor air quality, flooding and crumbling infrastructure pose a serious threat, especially when superstorms like Hurricane Sandy strike. As the violence and human rights violations worsen, so do the environmental circumstances surrounding Rikers."
"It’s true that the damage to Rikers wasn’t extensive. However, Sandy’s impact brings up a major question: How will the island fare in future natural disasters? When bigger, stronger hurricanes and snowstorms strike? A year earlier, during Hurricane Irene, The New York Times revealed that the Department of Correction did not have a full evacuation plan for Rikers Island—or even a plan to evacuate the population in buildings prone to flooding."
"'We’re pouring money into an archaic structure, when we should be asking how we can reduce the population in order to close it,' says Johnny Perez of Urban Justice Center. 'The problem with Rikers Island is Rikers Island. … [The conditions] really border on cruel and unusual punishment.' In the meantime, the next heatwave, hurricane, or big snowstorm could spell disaster."