The passing of Hurricane Ida, which left 13 deaths and hundreds of homes flooded in NYC, reminds us of the urgency of putting “dams” on other fatalities.
Photo: Fernando Martínez / Impremedia
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With one foot in the Hurricane season and the certain possibility of extreme weather events in the coming weeks, the municipal government of the city of New York start some plans to keep its residents safe.
Central to the strategy is encouraging New Yorkers to be clear on the map of emergency plans, especially if in the past in their residential areas have been victims of floods and other calamities.
Given the rigors and threats that climate change is also imposing, in all counties, the City launched this week the program called ‘Ready for the downpour NYC’ (Rainfall Ready NYC).
The idea is that New Yorkers are clear about the measures to prevent deaths, injuries and especially damage to your propertybefore the forecasts of intense rains, out of the ordinary, that could be registered in the Big Apple.
An intense season is coming
The commissioner of Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) from New York City, Rohit T. Aggarwala, clarified that “it will take time to complete the construction of large infrastructure projects to manage our changing climate, and Rainfall Ready NYC aims to outline actions that can be taken now, to avoid tragedies”.
The last “visit” of a meteorological phenomenon to the geography of the Big Apple was last September. And it was alarming: The tropical storm Ida let 13 dead, 1,200 houses destroyed serious and $50 million in property damage.
For this 2022 the National Metereological Service predicts for the seventh consecutive year a 65% chance of an “above normal” hurricane season.
Resources for upcoming storms
The plan Rainfall Ready NYC it will be shared widely in the coming weeks.
The big news is that it will expand the programa FloodNet, It is a network of street sensors designed to better understand the frequency, severity and impacts of flooding in New York City.
These sensors will be installed in the most vulnerable areas for real-time data collection and will be accessible, through a board for public usestarting at the end of this month.
The Rainfall NYC program encourages New Yorkers to learn to use interactive maps available on City websites, to understand the likelihood of flooding on your block and make plans to take shelter if necessary.
Residents of the five boroughs are also encouraged to take part in flood prevention helping to clear trash and debris from your sidewalks and nearby sinkholes, in case of warnings of impending weather events.
For its part, the City is already inspecting places with a history of concentration and elevation of the water level, to initiate Comprehensive drain cleaning plans.
The DEP also will provide sandbags and barriers against flooding residents in at-risk neighborhoods.
Forewarned deliverers
In this hurricane season, the municipal authorities are involving the deliveristas, Uber Eats, GrubHub y DoorDash in a working group to create strategies to ensure that extreme weather messages arrive in a timely manner to the delivery men.
This group will also work to ensure delivery workers are keep you safe during extreme weather conditions. In these cases they will receive notifications to restrict their deliveries.
“With hurricane season on the way, I also encourage New Yorkers to make emergency plans, before extreme weather conditions occur. The idea is that they visit us online or calling 311”, recommended Zach Iscol, commissioner of New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM).
In short: What is expected in this 2022 season?
- The meteorologists of Climate Prediction Center of the National Weather Service, predict a “hurricane activity above average this year,” which would make it the seventh consecutive above-average hurricane season.
- The outlook for the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30predicts a 65% chance of an above normal season, a 25% chance of a near normal season, and a 10% chance of a below normal season.
- Caution is made of a probable range of 14 to 21 named storms (winds of 39 mph or greater), of which 6 to 10 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or greater), including 3 to 6 major hurricanes (category 3, 4, or 5; with winds of 111 mph or greater) .
- These ranges are projected with a 70% “confidence”, says the national climate authority.
Learn about the resources:
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