Judge: NYC emergency plan violates disabilities act

A federal judge in Manhattan on Thursday ruled that New York City was in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act because of deficiencies in its emergency plan for evacuating the disabled from high rises.

U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman said the problems were illustrated during superstorm Sandy. "People with disabilities, unable to leave their buildings unassisted or to locate accessible transportation, remained trapped in high-rise buildings for days after the storm," he wrote.

The judge also noted deficiencies in providing sufficiently accessible shelters and informing the disabled of available emergency services. He ordered the city to come up with a plan to address the problems.