Thread by @NBCNews

After Hurricane Ida ripped through New York City, 11 people died in flooded basements. Nearly all of the deaths were Asian residents—which experts say is the result of a lack of affordable housing, the pandemic and climate injustice. #NBCNewsThreads (1/11) nbcnews.com/news/asian-ame…

Hongsheng Leng used to sell art in Times Square and work odd jobs under a visitor’s visa he was granted in 1995.

He retired with medical issues, and his family mostly relied on welfare. He was largely confined to his home — a small basement apartment in Queens. (2/11)

It was a plight that would prove fatal.

Leng was found dead in his flooded basement apartment at noon on Sept. 2. The bodies of his wife and daughter were discovered later that same day. (3/11)

According to the New York City Department of Buildings, five of the six properties where New Yorkers died were illegally converted cellar and basement apartments.

All six are undergoing active law enforcement investigations, including the one where the Leng family lived. (4/11)

Many Asian American immigrants resort to living in illegal basement apartments because they have nowhere else to go.

City data shows nearly a quarter of Asian American immigrants live in poverty, among the highest rates compared to other races. (5/11)

Many basements are “high-risk, dangerous” living situations with low ceilings, exposed wiring and bathrooms that don’t function properly. When water floods into the space, families often do not have a window or a direct exit. It’s easy to get trapped inside. (6/11)

For many tenants, the solution isn’t merely reporting landlords for housing violations.

If a complaint is made, rather than fixing the problem, the Department of Buildings could issue a vacate order, forcing tenants who likely do not have much money to move immediately. (7/11)

“It is only when there is a tragedy like the victims of Hurricane Ida that the city pays attention to the plights of Asian American tenants,” said Lina Lee, executive director of housing justice nonprofit organization Communities Resist. (8/11)

Experts say there needs to be more awareness around climate change and simple ways immigrants can protect themselves, like calling 911 during emergencies and unlocking doors to prevent being trapped.

There also needs to be more institutional support for these communities. (9/11)

On top of the lack of disaster preparation in general, community activists say they noticed that the city’s history of punishing tenants and landlords of basement apartments made people less likely to come forward. (10/11)

“You’re not going to have people pouring out, clamoring to connect with a city official,” says Annetta Seecharran, executive director of an organization that helps low-income South Asians and Indo-Caribbeans with housing needs. “They need the help. They’re afraid.” (11/11)