NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday released a new blueprint for the city to prepare for and respond to extreme weather.
The report, called “The New Normal: Combatting Storm-Related Extreme Weather in New York City,” was delivered to the mayor by the Extreme Weather Response Task Force, a top-level convening of senior leaders across City agencies, along with outside experts on climate change and resiliency, directed to compile a new set of protocols and policies to protect New Yorkers from future storms like Hurricane Ida.
The mayor announced plans to support the report’s recommendations with $2.1 billion in new funding at the Department of Environmental Protection, $238 million in accelerated funding for crucial DEP projects, $400 million in new funding for other priority capital projects among key agencies including the Parks Department, Department of Transportation and NYCHA as well as $25 million in expense funding for 2022.
“Extreme weather is more common than ever, and more severe than ever. Business as usual is over. Keeping New Yorkers safe means profoundly changing the way we prepare for – and react to – this new normal,” said de Blasio. “This new report charts a path forward for investing in vulnerable neighborhoods, shoring up our infrastructure, warning communities ahead of major weather events, and better tracking storms before they arrive. I’m proud to share it with New Yorkers, and I look forward to forging a safer and more resilient city.”
“The New Normal” outlines detailed new strategies to:
- Educate, train, and acclimate New Yorkers to this new reality
- Increase planning for the worst-case scenario in every instance
- Accelerate upgrades to storm modeling, tracking, and alert systems
- Broaden protection for inland communities, not only our coastlines
- Protect basement and cellar occupantsPrioritize investments in low-income neighborhoods, immigrant communities, and communities of color
- Re-imagine our sewage and drainage system, and rapidly increase green infrastructure and cloudburst solutions
- Call on support from the state and federal government in further depending our reach
Additionally, the mayor announced the creation of the “Rainboots on the Ground” program – the city’s first-ever program to distribute educational information on evacuation procedures to basement apartment residents and vulnerable neighborhoods.
According to de Blasio, the City will contract with 60 community-based organizations to canvass these neighborhoods and highlight the threats posed by storm water and extreme weather beginning in 2022.
He also announced the creation of a new Extreme Weather Coordinator position in City Hall will work closely with New York City Emergency Management and other agencies to lead and organize extreme weather response and will be appointed by the mayor.
“New Yorkers have seen the effects of extreme weather on their communities, and they know it’s happening more frequently than ever before. With this blueprint, their City will be as tough, prepared, and resilient as they are,” Deputy Mayor for Administration Emma Wolfe said.