The city’s aging infrastructure combined with more intense rainfall is resulting in more backups, which took on average more than 15 hours to resolve during the last fiscal year that ended in June.
“Water main breaks have caused outages across my community and contamination from old pipes have left homes with rust colored water for days…The people of New York City deserve functioning infrastructure and real investments are the only way to get us there.”
The Ida relief fund for “Excluded New Yorkers” was set up by the city and state for people who suffered damages from the historic flooding but didn’t qualify for aid administered by FEMA because of their immigration status. But a year later, just a fraction of the funding has been used, and only 330 out of 554 have received a cash payout.
Brad Lander’s Basement Resident Protection Law would create a “basement board” to oversee the conversions and ensure residents of these apartments—called accessory dwelling units or ADUs—have access to tenants’ rights and basic safety protections. It comes a year after rains from Hurricane Ida killed 11 New Yorkers in basement units.
The ‘Rainfall Ready NYC’ plan unveiled last week offers short-term fixes to fortify the city against intense rain, as the administration continues to work on a more comprehensive long-term plan, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala told City Limits.
Cash assistance has been dispersed to 288 households so far, for a total of $1,601,210: 345 applications have been finalized and 201 are still being processed. Stakeholders say it’s unlikely the fund will open again to applicants.
The fund received 528 applications and as of Jan. 26, less than half (216 applications) had been approved. Of the $27 million available for this fund, less than $1 million has been disbursed so far.
‘Acknowledging the inequitable distribution of climate change’s damage is an important step, but we must do better. Those with the fewest resources should not have to shoulder the full burden of the damages primarily caused by the wealthy. Climate attribution systems are the step forward.’
As of Dec. 13, 501 applications for the $27 million fund have been completed and signed by a caseworker, 145 have been approved, 66 have received the aid and 79 are in the process of receiving it.
Meet activists from across the five boroughs, from oyster keepers in The Bronx to environmental justice advocates in Brooklyn, interviewed by student reporters enrolled in the City Limits Accountability Reporting Initiative for Youth.
City Limits uses investigative journalism through the prism of New York City to identify urban problems, examine their causes, explore solutions, and equip communities to take action.
Founded in 1976 in the midst of New York’s fiscal crisis, City Limits exists to inform democracy and equip citizens to create a more just city. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded by foundation support, ad sponsorship and donations from readers.
Support local, investigative journalism that has informed and empowered New Yorkers for 45 years.
Support local, investigative journalism that has informed and empowered New Yorkers for 45 years.
