After
Sandy, UN Left
in Cold, Three
Hour
Dispute of
Power Cut Off
Questioned
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 8 --
Impacts on the
UN of its
"flawed"
response to
Hurricane
Sandy are not
confined to
the
water-logged
third
sub-basement,
from which
many staff
offices have
had to be
evacuated.
On Thursday
morning, the
UN Security
Council moved
its
consultations
from their
normal room
into the big
Chamber --
explicitly due
to a
lack of heat,
Council
sources
exclusively
told Inner
City Press.
Beyond
the Budget
Committee
session Monday
which slammed
the Department
of
Management
chief Yukio
Takasu and
Security chief
Gregory Starr,
on
issues ranging
from lack of
communications
to member
states to
ineffective
use of $50
million spent
on a data
backup center
in New
Jersey, other
questions have
arisen.
Sources
exclusive
tell Inner
City Press of
a three hour
delay on the
Monday
of Super Storm
Sandy in which
"no one could
decide who has
the
authority to
turn off
electrical
power at the
UN." Some say
this
was the
clearest,
though still
little known,
impact of
absence of
leadership.
The Security
locker room in
3B, which
Inner City
Press asked
about, is
being moved
across First
Avenue into
the DC2
building.
Other 3B staff
were told to
only pick up
items of
sentimental
value, and to
disinfect
their clothes.
But will there
be any OSHA
certified
inspection?
Meanwhile
UN
staff in
publishing are
telling the
Fifth (Budget)
Committee
their
fears that
management
will use the
water damage
to equipment
in their
unit as an
excuse for
further
outsourcing
(similar to
the way claims
processing for
the UN Medical
Insurance Plan
is not being
bid out.)
The publishing
issues may be
raised by
the Group of
77 and China.
Watch this
site.
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