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Q&A
Flood preparedness and response strategies across NYC
2:35:20
ยท
3 min
Council Member Ariola and Commissioner Iscol discuss NYCEM's approach to flood preparedness and response in various areas of NYC, including coastal regions and areas vulnerable to rainfall-induced flooding. The conversation covers the challenges of predicting different types of flooding and NYCEM's strategies for public communication and evacuation.
- Coastal areas are susceptible to storm surge flooding, which is more predictable
- Rainfall-induced flooding is harder to forecast and requires rapid response
- NYCEM focuses on educating the public about flood watches and warnings
- The agency provides information on safe shelters for temporary relocation during flood events
Joann Ariola
2:35:20
In areas that are vulnerable to these types of flooding, like normally we're not talking about flash flooding or anything, but just what are specific steps that you're taking to assess and mitigate vulnerabilities in these areas, especially where there are subway systems or areas that are transit deserts.
2:35:41
We have in my district right now the A line to Rockaway is ended because they're redoing the tracks.
2:35:50
So that leaves one less way to get off the peninsula.
2:35:54
So transportation is a problem and so I know you're aware of it and I know that you've thought about how are we getting everybody off the Peninsula.
2:36:03
Just if you could give us an overview of by the city, you know, five boroughs, what do you have in plan to get people from an area that was flooded to a place that is safe?
Zachary Iscol
2:36:16
Yeah.
2:36:16
It's a great question.
2:36:17
And I know you know this better than anybody.
2:36:19
You and I, I can't count the number of times that
Joann Ariola
2:36:20
we've been to our knees in water.
Zachary Iscol
2:36:23
Get That's being generous.
2:36:24
Up to our waste and water together, canvassing, making sure residents are okay together more than a few times.
2:36:30
So different parts of the city are susceptible to different types of flooding.
2:36:34
The coastal areas of the Rockaways, in particular, parts of Staten Island, Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn, we are a coastal city, Those are susceptible to storm water coastal storm flooding.
2:36:46
That is water that comes into Jamaica Bay, into New York Harbor.
2:36:50
We're pretty good at both forecasting and understanding where that water is going to go and what areas are susceptible to flooding.
2:37:00
And we have some lead time in those cases to communicate to the public who live in those areas, to work with different organizations that serve in particular vulnerable populations, people with disabilities and functional needs, to be able to move them out, working with our partners at the MTA, working with different transportation groups that can support people with disabilities and functional needs in particular, and to give people the time they need to move out of those areas and into our shelter systems.
2:37:32
I think the bigger concern right now, or another concern, is the areas outside of the coastal storms that are susceptible to flooding due to rainfall.
2:37:41
That is much harder to predict.
2:37:43
It is much harder to forecast.
2:37:46
We might know that we're looking at moderate to extreme rainfall somewhere across the city, but knowing exactly where those storm cells are going to line up, if they're lining up over areas that are more susceptible or less susceptible to flooding, that is very, very difficult to forecast ahead of time.
2:38:04
And generally you may not even know that there is the concern of a flash flood until you're maybe a few hours away.
2:38:11
And so one of the things that we're doing is really working very closely to educate the public, making sure that they know that when a watch is issued, that they need to start preparing to act.
2:38:23
When a warning is issued, they need to act.
2:38:26
Providing them in our communication, letting them know that there are places that they can go that are city run that are safe shelters, at least for temporary periods of times if you live in a basement, below grade apartment, someplace that is more vulnerable.
2:38:41
But a lot of it in those cases is really around the public communication.
2:38:45
I'm gonna say, Christine, do you have anything that you'd wanna add to that on the