‘There had to be somewhere better’: New York criticized for building migrant tents in flood-prone lot

Large puddles could be seen lingering on the parking lot from a rainstorm two days earlier. Photograph: Wilfred Chan

In the summertime, Orchard Beach is one of the Bronx’s most popular places to party. Here on the edge of a woody peninsula about an hour’s drive from midtown Manhattan, barbecue smoke floats over a backdrop of reggaeton; crowds gather on the boardwalk for Salsa Sundays.

But now, the beach is transforming into an unprecedented shelter for a new group of people. Within weeks, as many as 1,000 recently arrived migrants will be placed under huge tents in the beach’s parking lot. And while officials say they won’t stay more than a few days, advocates worry the migrants could end up languishing in the tents as winter arrives, in an area that’s also known for dramatic floods.