Flooding recaps and updates

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Dear John

Please note! We are in the formal “communications blackout” period, less than 90 days from the November general election. To comply with election law, we are restricted with what we can discuss in mass communications until Election Day. We will continue to send out a weekly newsletter to keep our community updated but bear with us as we pare down and change content to comply with election law. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.
* Curbside composting is coming to Brooklyn this week! To get ready, be sure to order your free Brown Bin before 10/13. ([link removed])
* Cycle 13 of Participatory Budgeting is underway! This initiative allocates $1.5 million in capital funding and $50,000 in expense funding to projects submitted and voted on by our neighbors. Join our office at our Arts & Culture, Environment, and Economic Justice Idea collection events ([link removed]) to meet your neighbors and talk about ideas to improve District 39.
* The federal government has reopened its free COVID-19 test website ([link removed]) ! Be sure to order your four free tests soon.

Flash Flooding

Starting early Friday (9/29) morning and throughout the weekend, New York City was engulfed in a deluge of heavy rain. Several inches of rain came down within less than 24 hours, flooding streets, subway lines, and many homes. Parts of Brooklyn experienced 2.5 inches of rain within 12 hours (making it the wettest day in our City’s history since Hurricane Ida), well over the 1.5 inches our sewer system can manage. Many parts of District 39 have been prone to flooding for years, and the City’s continual lack of preparedness for this most recent storm was no different. While rain continued for most of the weekend, the exceptional downpour on Friday morning caused the most damage here in our community and across our neighborhoods.

To be prepared for future storms, please sign up to receive Notify NYC ([link removed]) alerts, and if you experience any damage during the rain, you can report it to 311. My team can follow up on the 311 report by sending the ticket number over to Matt, our constituent services director, at [email protected].

While natural disasters are not always something our City can plan for, I was shocked by the lack of foresight by this Mayor. New Yorkers didn’t hear from their Mayor until well into the afternoon on Friday after many people had already traveled to work or school. I deeply oppose the Mayor’s plan not to hold a remote learning day and will continue to push expanded telework options to be utilized on days like these.

Our City is trying to manage the effects of 21st-century storms with 20th-century infrastructure, and it’s not working. In our community, my office is in close communication with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to identify solutions that increase sewer capacity and lessen the reliance on pumping to resolve the flooding conditions in Gowanus, Park Slope, and Windsor Terrace. We’re working diligently with City agencies to ensure commitments to improve sewage overflow capacity in the Gowanus rezoning are kept as developments move forward. Our office is also partnering ([link removed]) with local groups and City agencies to invest in ecologically sound flood mitigation techniques like rain gardens, permeable asphalt, and additional small-scale green infrastructure to limit the impact of these storms. In the Council, I’ve cosponsored a resolution demanding the state legalize basement
apartments (one of the most dangerous places ([link removed]) to be during a rain event like this), support a bill to create a flood evacuation plan ([link removed]) for our City, as well as cosponsor legislation ([link removed]) to improve rain catch basins in our City. We have to do more.

I hope everyone is safe and dry after a wet week. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office if you need help.

Community Bulletin
* Looking to get into bird watching? Check out the Brooklyn Bird Club’s October event schedule ([link removed]) !
* Join Prospect Park Alliance for a series of virtual and in-parkcommunity workshops in October (the first virtual one is on 10/2) to help envision the future of the Lincoln Road and 3rd Street Playgrounds ([link removed]) . The playgrounds will go into reconstruction in 2025. Learn more and RSVP ([link removed].) !
* Join Brooklyn Children’s Museum on their rooftop on 10/5 for the third annual Anti-Racist Family Day in partnership with the Brooklyn Public Library. Participants will learn about age-appropriate anti-racist practices, including celebrating and affirming different races and identities, talking about injustice and fairness in our society, and modeling ways young children can engage in activism. The event will feature storytelling with local authors, a protest art-making workshop, and book giveaways!
* The Brooklyn Fiber Festival ([link removed]) is hosting a hat drive for the homeless on 10/7 from 10 AM - 5 PM. Bring your winter hats to the Old Stone House for donation.
* Applications for Brooklyn Arts Council's 2024 grants cycle are NOW OPEN! Check out BAC’s website ([link removed]) for grant guidelines, applications, and info sessions. All applications are due Sunday, 10/8.
* Looking to adopt a furry new best friend? Stop by the ACC Mobile Adoption Event ([link removed]) on 10/14 from 12-4 PM at the 5th Ave Open Street! Remember to get there early, bring your ID, and make sure your phone is charged so you can fill out the application online.
* The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) invites you to the Nevins and Third Public Open House on Tuesday, 10/17, from 6-8 PM at the Wyckoff Gardens Community Center. ([link removed]) This open house will be an opportunity to learn about the Nevins Street and Third Avenue affordable housing development sites and discuss how the sites could serve the needs of the community. Snacks and refreshments will be provided!
* Have fun, try new food and drink, and give back to the community! Come join Tastes of Carroll Gardens ([link removed]) on Saturday, 10/21, from 2-6 PM. Participants build their own food and drink crawl, tasting their way through the sumptuous restaurants and bars of Carroll Gardens. Ticket sales for Tastes of Brooklyn events fund Seeds in the Middle ([link removed]) , a charity combating food insecurity in low-income Brooklyn neighborhoods.
* The Park Slope Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District is partnering with the Gowanus Canal Conservancy to bring a tree care workshop to 5th Avenue in the South Slope on Saturday, 10/21, at 10 AM. Sign up and learn more! ([link removed])
* Our office is excited to host our annual Brooklyn PTA Fun Run on 10/28 at 10 AM (bib pick-up and pre-race activities at 9 AM)! This family day brings our diverse communities together to mobilize support for PTAs across Brooklyn schools. Sign up now or donate ([link removed]) if you are unable to attend. We are also recruiting volunteers to join theHost Committee ([link removed]) to help raise money and register your school community! If you or someone in your school has financial difficulties in paying for the Fun Run, please contact Mia at my office, [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

In Solidarity,

Shahana
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