On July 7, 2022, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, along with New York City Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala and the city’s Emergency Management Commissioner of New York, Zach Iscol, released the Rainfall Ready NYC Action Plan. This plan was designed to prepare the government and city residents for future extreme rainfall events, given current climate change.

“Climate change is the city’s greatest environmental threat, and as we continue to invest in resilience and infrastructure projects to protect us for generations to come, the Rainfall Ready NYC Action Plan will help every New Yorkers to protect themselves, their family and their home. said Mayor Adams.

NYC has more than 7,500 miles of sewers capable of capturing rainfall from a five-year-old storm. Additional short-term infrastructure projects will be implemented to mitigate flooding. The Department of Design and Construction (DCC) and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will work together to complete three high-level storm sewer projects, six traditional sewer projects and install 1,300 infrastructure additional green fields by June 2023.

New York City’s Climate Director and DEP Commissioner Aggarwala said, “Designing and building large infrastructure projects to manage climate change will take time and Rainfall Ready NYC is meant to outline joint actions. which can be taken in the short term. term to ensure public safety.

New Yorkers can access a variety of tools to become aware of impending storms and resulting flooding, as well as to protect their homes, families and property from flooding. The Department of Environmental Protection has created an interactive map that users can navigate to determine if their homes are in flood-prone areas. The city has also expanded FloodHelpNY, a website that provides information and resources on flood risk, insurance and renovations. Signs will also be posted in chronically flooded areas to ensure passers-by and motorists are aware of the flooding hazards associated with these locations.

In the face of the storm, New Yorkers are recommended to set up sandbags and deployable barriers, stock up on food, water, medicine and batteries, raise or remove belongings personnel in basements, clean up debris near curbs, register and listen to NYC Alerts, purchase flood insurance, and fix any construction issues that may cause water to enter rain in their property, such as cracks and poorly fitting doors and windows.

NYCEM Commissioner Iscol said, “With hurricane season and summer underway, I also encourage New Yorkers to develop contingency plans that best suit their needs before severe weather conditions hit. extremes and other emergencies occur, by visiting us online or by calling 311.”

NYC delivery people will be made aware of the dangers of flooding and precautions to take during stormy weather. Different protocols will be developed to ensure the safety of delivery people by a task force hired by the city made up of Los Deliveristas, Uber Eats, GrubHub and DoorDash.

Sascha Owen, Senior Director of Government Relations, DoorDash said, “The safety of delivery people and the communities we serve is at the heart of everything we do, and we will continue to work closely with policy makers and share insights. lessons we have learned from development. our robust emergency response protocols.

By: Malka Amar (Malka is an intern at CityLaw and a student at New York Law School, class of 2023.)

Mayor: “Mayor Adams Releases Rainfall Ready NYC Action Plan, Preparing City Government and New Yorkers for More Extreme Rainfall” (July 7, 2022.)