After The Storm:New York 5 Stages
New York City and the Five-Stage Restoration Plan[edit]
Devereaux based his plan on the problem of shortage. There is not enough money and not enough materials for everything to be restored at once. Even after the vital government functions such as hospitals, law enforcement and administration get their priority shares, further prioritizing is needed. This happens by dividing target areas between five different stages that have different priorities. The stages are:
Stage I: First priority. Areas with vital resources or production facilities, important centers of research or education, and generally areas that, when restored, support the restoration of other areas by providing funds, resources, or knowledge needed.
Stage II: Second priority. Areas of important support functions, centers of secondary importance, and generally areas that are not vital but still useful to the restoration process.
Stage III: Self-sufficient areas and centers of growth. If the region is not very important to the restoration process itself but has a promising economy, its growth is supported by having its government functions and economically important facilities restored but is otherwise considered of tertiary importance.
Stage IV: Regions that are of little importance to restoration and that do not have a promising economic base are considered largely a drain of resources. They may receive inreased manpower and resources to keep the peace and maintain a minimal standard of living, and material aid of non-rationed variety, but little in the way of rationed resources that instead get assigned to regions where they will provide a better return of investment.
Stage V: At the bottom are regions that are not seen as important enough to merit even additional security forces. These regions generally receive only the barest minimum of additional resources to maintain their basic functions and little else.
Due to its large population and its five boroughs, New York City was chosen as the prototype and model for the Five-Stage Restoration Plan. The appearance of success or failure there may decide whether Devereaux manages to get re-elected. Each borough was assigned one of the stages.
Manhattan, often descriped as the financial and cultural center of the world, was naturally assigned to Stage I. The financial institutions there would provide the tax money needed for further restoration, the centers of education would provide the knowhow. Manhattan is currently largely restored, and most closely resembles the world as it was before The Storm. Cellphones and laptops are a common sight, there are ATMs, plenty of electronics, a comfortable standard of living, and the police presence is discreet. Surveillance is heavy, in the form of security cameras and tracking systems.
Brooklyn's economy has been strongly tied to Manhattan, since the borough has benefited from a steady influx of financial back office operations from there and more than half of Brooklyn's residents work outside its boundaries. Brooklyn also has a strong services and construction sectors, both seen as important to restoration. Brooklyn has therefore been granted Stage II status, and since Manhattan has now been largely restored, Brooklyn is where one can see most of the restoration effort taking place, with repairs in process and new electronics being installed. The borough also has the highest growing standard of living, with an increasing number of people being able to afford personal electronics.
Bronx, once containing one of the five poorest Congressional Districts in the United States, suffered due to The Storm but also benefited. Bronx is the only borough that has the majority of its area on the U.S. mainland, and with the diminished air traffic, the importance of land traffic has increased. Thus Bronx has become something of a transportation hub, since practically all land travel and transportation to and from New York City passes through it. Brand new truck and bus terminals have been built to accommodate the increased traffic. Another beneficial feature for the borough is the large biodiesel plant processing used cooking oil that began construction in 2010. As global transportation has diminished, the importance of domestically produced biodiesel has increased, and the facility has since been expanded. Still, these features are only important enough to merit Stage III status, so plentiful electronics and surveillance cameras are only seen near the transportation terminals, the biodiesel plant, and the government facilities. In the rest of the borough, electronics are still a rare sight. The crime rate is higher than average, since the borough has also become a smuggling hub. There is an increased police presence, although it is largely in the form of standard police cruisers rather than paramilitary gear, and concentrated near the important facilities.
Queens was hit the hardest. Before The Storm, it had the second-largest economy of New York City's five boroughs. But a large portion of the economy and employment was export-oriented, or centered on JFK International and LaGuardia Airports. But global trade is still very minor and air traffic, although growing again, is a fraction of what it was. The unemployment in the export and transportation sector is high. Of the airports, only JFK International is operational. LaGuardia, already outdated when The Storm hit, remains unrestored and is currently closed down and deserted. Its once vital functions no longer seen as important, Queens is a stage IV area. Personal electronics are rarely seen, and even many government facilities operate with minimal electronics. Files are kept on paper rather than in computer files, phones are landline versions, and in general it is like time has turned back a couple of decades. Surveillance is minimal, with hardly any cameras around, but the police presence is high and militarized, with armoured APCs and automatic weapons. The crime rate is still high.
Staten Island, sometimes called "the forgotten borough" by its inhabitants, is true to its nickname. Even before The Storm, many inhabitants felt neglected by the city government. The Five-Stage Restoration Plan has only increased the feeling, since Staten Island, due to its low population and relative unimportance, is the one assigned Stage V status. Staten Island is the only borough without a hospital operated by New York City, and its own two hospitals have to do with only the barest minimum of modern electronics. Cell phones would be useless in Staten Island since they do not currently get field there. Even internet access is haphazard. There is a high feeling of resentment among the population, and demonstrations are commonplace. They rarely turn into riots, to the relief of the county sheriff's department, which is also largely unrestored, underequipped, and having to get by with little in the way of electronic devices. The department is struggling to keep the growing crime rate in check.
To prevent any disruption of the restoration process, movement between the different boroughs is currently restricted. There are checkpoints at the bridges and tunnels, and where no natural barrier exists, security fences have been erected between the boroughs. To access a borough, one has to either be a resident or work there, otherwise a permit is needed. How difficult a permit is to get depends on the region. Moving between Queens and Bronx generally needs little besides standing at line and presenting an ID and a valid-sounding reason. Visiting Brooklyn or Manhattan takes a background check, and depending on the background you may need an invitation or official business to get to Manhattan. The department in Staten Island does not really have the resources to keep check in comings and goings, so over there you are rarely asked anything unless you look suspicious.
The current Mayor is called Bernard Goodman. Late 50s, balding. A career politician, somewhat authoritarian, ran on "tough on crime" platform. Not particularly liked, but without any major scandals or blunders.
Another person of note is Janice White, Restoration Project Manager. In her 40s, stern, octagonal glasses. Liked or hated, depending on where you live. She is ultimately the one who assigns the resources of the Five-Stage Restoration Plan.
Joanna "John" Wayne is the county sheriff of staten island. Late 30s, but looks about a decade younger. Guite a charismatic person, she has managed to keep an angry demonstration from turning into a riot just by addressing the crowd. Her nickname of "John Wayne" comes from her early years in the department. Quite a crackshot, she was known to pull off movie-like stunts such as shooting the gun from a perp's hand.
Arnold Hillman is the chief of police in Queens. Less than affectionately known as Hitler-Hillman, he runs his department more like a paramilitary group than a police force. This habit has only gotten worse since he was assigned additional forces and genuine paramilitary gear as a part of the Five-Stage Restoration Plan. The situation has reached the point where many people especially in poorer regions are reluctant to call the police. In some neighbourhoods people have tried to form neighbourhood watches in an attempt to keep the peace themselves, but Hillman takes a particularly dim view of what he sees as vigilantism, and cracks down on these watches as much as he cracks down on actual crime.
Simon King is the borough president of Bronx, an energetic man in his early 50s. He is a somewhat controversial figure.The position is largely ceremonial, and as a PR person for his borough, King has been quite successful. He attends and hosts various events to attract new business to the borough and sponsors artists and exhibitions. On the other hand, "The King of Bronx" is something of a playboy with an extravagant lifestyle. He has also been accused of accepting "gifts" from corporations to use his influence on their behalf. Twice he has been investigated for corruption, although nothing was found in either investigation. He is currently advocating an expansion of one of the truck terminals. While it would bring new jobs, expansion would require pulling down several buildings of low-income housing, so the plan has drawn both praise and protest.
