NEW YORK – Ten years ago, Storm Sandy hit our area, affecting much of New York City.
In keeping with the anniversary, Mayor Eric Adams announced a series of critical steps to build the city’s long-term resilience on Wednesday.
First, the Democrat pioneered the Brooklyn Bridge-Montgomery Coastal Resilience (BMCR) project, which will install a combination of floodwalls and collapsible barriers to protect the neighborhood. The two bridges of Manhattan from a 100-year coastal storm. This takes into account the expected sea level rise by 2050, while maintaining access and visibility to the coast.
Additionally, Adams announced a new program, Strong climate communities (CSC), as part of the climate strategy. A key initiative of AdaptNYC, CSC is a project development and community engagement program that will help create the next line of resilience projects that focus on multiple types of hazards. It will focus on neighborhoods that have not benefited from existing or planned Sandy redevelopment projects.
Mayor Adams also urged the federal government to create a formula funding program for coastal infrastructure that will provide approximately $ 8.5 billion in pre-disaster mitigation grants to enable New York City to complete critical resilience projects. , among which:
Superstorm Sandy was 1,000 miles wide and took a rare westward hook that put New York City in the path of its offshore winds. It had a historic impact on the city and landed on October 29, 2012. With a wind field three times the size of Hurricane Katrina, Superstorm Sandy killed 44 New Yorkers, flooded 51 miles (71%) of the city, left 2.5 million residents without electricity, caused $ 19 billion in damage and lost economic activity, caused the temporary or permanent displacement of 35,000 residents and damaged more than 9,100 homes.
The Adams government also posted on Wednesday a report detailing Sandy’s impactsthe city’s ongoing recovery and resilience efforts and the necessary investment and key policy reforms to protect New Yorkers from future storms.
HERE ARE THE PLANS TO CREATE A MORE RESILIENT NEW YORK CITY
Coastal resilience of the Brooklyn-Montgomery Bridge
BMCR will reduce the risk of flooding from both sea level rise and storm surges for over 44,000 New Yorkers, including many living in affordable housing, while continuing to preserve waterfront views and access. Deployable barriers will be a permanent infrastructure, hidden until they are raised in the event of a storm. The location of the flood walls and poles has been designed to minimize conflicts with underground infrastructure and to maximize the integration of public space services such as outdoor seating, fitness equipment and sports fields .
Weather resistant communities
CSC will focus on environmental justice communities that have not been addressed by Sandy’s recovery funds and that historically face deeper impacts due to climate change.
The city will create and invest in this program in hopes of unlocking additional billions of dollars in federal funding through the Reduce Inflation Act and the Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs Act. The program will work to create model projects to address various climate risks, such as coastal flooding. , sea level rise, extreme rainfall and heat in city neighborhoods that have been neglected for too long. CSC is a transformational opportunity to deliver unprecedented federal dollars, facilitate economic development, create more resilient affordable housing, and establish New York City as a leader in climate adaptation.
Ask the federal government to provide $ 8.5 billion in pre-disaster mitigation funding
Since storm Sandy was hit, an entirely new type of infrastructure has been created to strengthen the protection of coastal neighborhoods from devastating storm surges and regular tidal floods. These infrastructure projects, such as the East Side Coastal Resilience Project, are complex, new and unprecedented in any other American city. However, most of these projects are in various stages of completion.
Therefore, the Adams administration is asking the federal government to create a coherent new infrastructure funding program that would allow New York and other jurisdictions across the country to complete a number of critical coastal resilience projects. Many of these large, complex projects listed above are the first of their kind in New York City and are being implemented in a unique and dense urban environment. These projects, intended to increase protection against coastal storms that can damage coastal areas and infrastructure, are currently under construction, design or planning.
Design-constructionIprogressive
Recognizing that many construction projects need faster openings and completion, Mayor Adams has also pledged to work with state lawmakers to pass legislation authorizing the city to use progressive design and construction. State legislation currently requires a two-stage procurement process: one stage for requesting qualifications and the other for requesting proposals. With the progressive approval of the design and construction, the city can quickly select a supplier before the full scope of the project has been established. This would facilitate early-stage collaboration to investigate existing conditions, review engineering and construction challenges, and agree on solutions before determining final scope and pricing. It would also mean fewer disruptions for residents, fewer changes for contractors while projects are underway, money spent more efficiently, and better projects for New Yorkers.
“Ten years ago, flooded subways, a week-long blackout downtown, billions in property damage and the tragic death of 44 of our neighbors showed what climate change can do for our city,” Mayor Adams said. “Sandy wasn’t just a storm; it was a warning. Another storm could hit our city at any moment, which is why our administration is doing everything it can to prepare and protect New Yorkers. “
