Superstorm Sandy spared the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center, New York City’s most important food source. But a decade later, little has changed when it comes to storm resiliency at the low-lying markets, and a disaster could have a major impact for the city’s restaurants, shops and food pantries.
New potential funding mechanisms—including a measure that New Yorkers will see on the ballot this November—may provide an opportunity for homeowners in areas of high flood risk to sell their at-risk properties to the state or city. The properties are then rebuilt to be more resilient, or removed so the land can be used for coastal protection measures.
As the 10 year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy’s landfall in New York approaches, City Limits is asking residents to share their experiences of the storm. Where were you, and how did Sandy impact you and your community?
In the decade since Superstorm Sandy made landfall in New York, the city has lagged in spending federal and capital funds dedicated to recovery and resiliency, a new report found. Some city agencies that received hefty federal grants related to Sandy have spent less than half of those dollars.
“Addressing the remaining 60 percent of the waterfront that is hard and non-absorbent cannot be left to chance. The creation of a buffer there will require a comprehensive plan and revision of the zoning code to facilitate its implementation.”
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.
The nearly 300-page report is the first waterfront plan since Superstorm Sandy, and comes at the end of a year in which the city was rocked by multiple severe weather events.
Nine years after Superstorm Sandy flooded homes and tore the neon lobster from the town’s iconic Lobster House, residents see lack of city intervention as an opportunity.
Absent a flood history database, prospective renters and homebuyers are often on their own to determine whether a property has had water damage, especially in homes outside flood zones which are now seeing more frequent issues from increased rainfall.
‘The protective mechanisms that the city built after Sandy did little to stop what New York experienced the night of Ida, bringing into sharp relief not just that climate catastrophe is here, but that it will take different forms, demanding different kinds of preparation.’
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.
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