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There was water in my ground level bedroom last night, and probably many of yours too. We walked into the office this morning to a leaking ceiling and pools of water on computers and desks.
Last night NYC broke the rainfall record – set only just last week – with more than 3.15 inches of rain in a single hour as the remnants of Hurricane Ida swept through the city.
People were rescued from floating cars, submerged buses, stuck trains. Horribly, at least 9 people were killed, many trapped in basement apartments.
It couldn’t be clearer that the climate crisis is here -- but the urgency to invest in resilient infrastructure is not. We have to change that. Now.
This spring, the Mayor’s office released a “Stormwater Resiliency Plan” with the first ever analysis of flooding caused by extreme rainfall events, like what we experienced last night.
Just 4 months after its release, the Plan’s benchmarks and recommendations are already utterly inadequate to confront the challenges facing our city.
Put simply, we need a much more aggressive and comprehensive approach, one that doesn't just rely on more studies and private sector incentives, but brings the resources, regulatory reform, implementation, and enforcement needed to make change at scale quickly.
The budget and reconciliation package under debate in Washington DC includes critical funding to upgrade our infrastructure and invest in climate resilience and mitigation. We must ensure these critical dollars are made available as quickly as possible to fund resiliency projects to protect NYC’s most vulnerable communities.
As Comptroller, my top priority will be making sure that money is spent strategically, and with the urgency that our climate present requires. I’ve already proposed concrete ideas for how to make investing in our infrastructure work better. [[link removed]]
But I can’t do it alone. It’s going to take your voices, demanding action, calling out problems when you see them, urging us to do more and faster. That’s how we will create the political urgency to get all levers of city government to take the threat of climate change to our communities as seriously as it requires.
Climate change will impact all of us -- knocking out the entire subway system shows that. But it will hit hardest on those who are already precarious, living in places already subject to environmental hazards, with few resources and choices. We have to act fast.
Brad
P.S. This storm was catastrophic all over the city. Closer to my flooded home and office, though, I’m focused most urgently on the need to prevent the repeated flooding on 4th Avenue around Carroll Street (which has flooded in heavy storms since at least 1956, but they are coming much more frequently now). I’m in touch with the Department of Environmental Protection, and will continue working to ensure that 4th Ave gets the infrastructure fix that it so badly needs.
You can report flooding damage and downed trees to 311 or to the City here [[link removed]] and let the District 39 council office know if we can be of assistance ( [email protected] [[email protected]] , 718-499-1090). We will keep you posted on other resources and ways to help by email and on social media.
Brad Lander is a proven progressive leader in the City Council. Now he’s running for New York City Comptroller to help our city recover from the pandemic and rebuild a more equitable economy.
As Comptroller, Brad will hold the city government accountable to its promises to New Yorkers and secure a more sustainable future. Contribute now to his campaign [[link removed]]
CONTRIBUTE [[link removed]]
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