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      • Heat Solution: Reclaiming Public Space
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    • Hear the Heat: Our Song Demonstrates What it Felt Like Inside Harlem Homes This Summer
    • Neither Ice Blocks Nor Cooling Centers Protect New Yorkers Entirely from Heat Risks
    • As Temperatures Climb, the Elderly, Frail and Poor Are Put at Risk
    • Meet the Heat: How Hot Weather Harms Health for NYC Residents
      • Heat Waves by the Dozen
      • Hot Blast from NYC’s Past – A History of City’s Heat Waves
      • Case Study: Deadly Chicago Heat Wave of 1995
    • Extreme Heat Threatens Electrical Infrastructure in Upper Manhattan
    • Life in New York Public Housing: No AC, but Maybe a Fan Blowing Soot from Outside the Window
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    • SPECIAL REPORT: Assessing Resilience Planning: Is the City Preparing Smartly for the Rising Risks of Climate Change?
    • SPECIAL REPORT: At-Risk Residents Worry Over Climate Safety; City Leaders Eye Resiliency and Outreach
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  • Documents
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    • DOCUMENT: “A Stronger, More Resilient New York” Report (June 2013, Bloomberg administration)
      • DOCUMENT: Report from NYC Panel on Climate Change
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Adaptation News

Archives

July 27, 2016 by Saif Choudhury, AdaptNY

Hot Blast from NYC’s Past – A History of City’s Heat Waves

UPDATED: This week’s heat wave in New York, which brought the city five consecutive days of 90 degree+ temperatures from July 21-25, may have felt like it would never end.

In fact, it didn’t even make the city’s top 30 longest heat waves. It fell a full week short of the record 12-day heat wave in 1953, and several days short of a string of record heat waves the city has suffered in its history.

But looking ahead, indications are there’s worse to come. The NYC Panel on Climate Change reports that as the 21st century progresses, temperatures of extreme heat will become more and more frequent and the prevalence of heat waves will triple by the 2080s.

AdaptNY has compiled data from National Weather Service, based on temperatures measured at its Central Park station, for an infographic below that illustrates the longest heat waves in the city’s last century or so.

We’ve also put together a quick look at some of the city’s extreme high temperature events  – some hotter, some longer lasting, some more deadly, some leaving the city in darkness with power outages. Continue reading →

Posted in Extreme Weather, Harlem Heat · Tagged climate change, health, heat, heatwaves ·

Archives

June 16, 2016 by A. Adam Glenn

NYMAG: “8 Creative Ways Cities Are Combating Rising Temperatures”

The latest issue of New York Magazine has a well-researched piece that looks at how cities around the world are combatting rising temperatures and cooling themselves off, including with the use of wind, water and urban greenery.

There’s an description of efforts to implement cool roofs in New York City, which reporter Edward Hart says like other metropolises faces triple the number of days over 90 degrees:

In Manhattan alone, there’s up to 40 square miles of rooftop space, making rooftops a huge source of untapped potential in the fight against city heat. The black asphalt on many New York roofs can reach 190 degrees on a summer day. Through the NYC CoolRoofs program, the city has helped reduce the surface temperature on 6 million square feet of scorching asphalt by using lighter-colored coating that reflects more of the sun’s rays and absorbs less heat. The city plans on keeping apace of a million square feet of new roofing each year. By one estimate, this could ultimately cool New York’s air temperature by about two degrees. And these white roofs undoubtedly help lessen the urban-heat-island effect. They have an ancillary benefit too. Because the rooftops absorb less heat, the internal temperatures of buildings can be significantly lower, cutting down air-conditioning bills and reducing carbon emissions.

Read the full piece here.

Posted in Extreme Weather, Harlem Heat, Resilience · Tagged Adaptation, cool roofs, heat, heat waves, resilience ·

Archives

April 1, 2016 by A. Adam Glenn

WNYC: Giant Tidal Gates in Jamaica Bay?

Could Jamaica Bay flooding best be prevented by a set of giant gates? The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers thinks so, despite opposition by environmentalists. Listen to the audio report from WNYC Radio’s Matthew Schuerman, and read the full story here.

Posted in Resilience · Tagged Adaptation, Brooklyn, flood barriers, flooding, Jamaica Bay, Queens, resilience, sea walls ·

Archives

December 7, 2015 by A. Adam Glenn

CURATION: Adaptation Talks Shape New Policy at Paris Climate Summit

Climate adaptation, particularly how to pay for it, was central to negotiations at the recently concluded United Nations summit on climate change in Paris. Policymakers wrestled with the major adaptation issues – not just funding, but also development in urban hubs, crumbling water infrastructure and more. To help follow reactions to the adaptation discussion at the UN summit, as well as how the adaptation debate unfolded, AdaptNY curated key moments from the summit. Read on.

Posted in Resilience · Tagged COP21, curation, Paris, UN ·

Archives

May 6, 2015 by A. Adam Glenn

CHANGEMAKER Q&A:
Resiliency Front-and-Center for
NY’s Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance

One of the organizations frequently at the forefront of New York’s resiliency thinking is the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, a non-profit partnership of some 800 NGOs focused on metro-area waterways. Whether with a recently developed set of waterfront resilient building guidelines, or an about-to-be-released analysis of the long-term costs of resiliency, the alliance has delved deep into the complexities of protecting the city’s coastline from the risks of climate change.

The alliance holds its annual Waterfront Conference tomorrow, May 7. AdaptNY took the opportunity to interview Roland Lewis, the organization’s president and CEO. Read on, and watch for live Twitter coverage of the event tomorrow on @AdaptNY.

AdaptNY: We recently reported on the many open questions around New York’s planning for climate adaptation. How well do you think the de Blasio administration has done on resiliency, and with its recently released OneNYC sustainability plan? How does OneNYC compare to the resiliency plans outlined under the previous Bloomberg administration?

Roland Lewis: The mayor’s key policy platform of addressing equity within the overall plan was a welcome addition, and he should be lauded for combining worthy goals to promote both a just and sustainable city. Adding community benefits such as local hiring and workforce development programs, in addition to addressing trash equity issues, have long needed more attention.

We do think everyone is looking for more of the details that support the colorful and inspiring vision that they have used to re-launch PlaNYC to OneNYC. The release of the budget [expected May 7] and numbers that support these visions will be telling, and show exactly which projects advance the goals of OneNYC.

Continue reading →

Posted in Changemakers, Resilience · Tagged Adaptation, Bill de Blasio, Bloomberg, Changemakers, climate change, disaster preparedness, flooding, infrastructure, Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, resilience, Sandy, waterfront ·

Archives

April 16, 2015 by Sarah Crean

SPECIAL REPORT: Assessing Resilience Planning: Is the City Preparing Smartly for the Rising Risks of Climate Change?

Brooklyn's Red Hook,  post-Sandy . Source: NOAA

Brooklyn’s Red Hook, post-Sandy . Source: NOAA

At one of many such meetings now taking place throughout the city’s waterfront, residents of Red Hook, Brooklyn, gathered recently at a local community center to hear about the dramatic expansion of federal flood zones in their area and what the new designation would cost them.

As in other coastal neighborhoods, Red Hook struggles with a variety of flooding-related issues. Area homes, businesses and public housing developments suffered heavy damage from a five-foot storm surge during Superstorm Sandy. Red Hook also has long-term stormwater drainage problems.

So as the March 31 meeting night wore on, and residents sat closely together staring grimly at maps of their neighborhood, their fatigue and frustration was palpable.

One described still not being back in his home more than two years after major damage during Sandy. Another, in exasperation, asked city officials and their Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, who presided over the meeting, “What are you going to do? We are having meeting after meeting [about recovery and resiliency] and the neighborhood is still flooding.”

Red Hook is not alone. Similar issues and worries are being played out in waterfront communities throughout New York, from the Lower East Side to the Rockaways.

Problems like localized flooding will become all the more urgent as climate change progresses. But the threat to each neighborhood is different, depending on where it is located relative to the city’s 500-plus miles of coastline, and factors like socio-economic conditions, building stock, and critical infrastructure.

City officials are far from indifferent. Its strategy, in a nutshell, is to gradually strengthen the coastline, upgrade building stock and protect critical infrastructure.

Next week on Earth Day, April 22, the city plans to release a major progress report, the first in four years, on its multi-pronged sustainability framework, known as PlaNYC. As in the past, the report is expected to include discussion of climate resiliency, that is, the city’s ongoing and developing preparations to manage for the effects of climate change.

The PlaNYC update is the result of “an extensive engagement process,” city spokeswoman Amy Spitalnick recently told Capital New York, including meetings in every community board district, a survey available in seven languages, and an “expanded advisory board.”

In anticipation of the city’s report, AdaptNY and news partners Gotham Gazette and the NY Environment Report raised a series of key questions about resiliency planning with a group of planners, engineers, architects, elected officials, and other experts.

  • What is the pace of preparations? And are there sufficient financial resources?
  • Is the city using the best data possible?
  • What’s the impact of expanding flood zones? And is retreat an option?
  • Can we improve the decision-making process? Expand public engagement?
  • What are the institutional obstacles?
  • What are the social implications of resiliency planning?

The overarching question: can the process of becoming resilient make New York, in the end, a better city – more livable, environmentally sustainable and socially cohesive?

Among other key takeaways, we found: Continue reading →

Posted in Resilience, SPECIAL REPORTS · Tagged Adaptation, Alex Washburn, Alliance for a Just Rebuilding, Army Corps, barriers, Big U, Bill de Blasio, Bloomberg, blue belts, Bronx, Brooklyn, charter review, City Council, climate change, Coney Island, Daniel Zarrilli, disaster preparedness, Donovan Richards, Earth Institute, engagement, environmental justice, FEMA, flood barriers, flooding, Funding, Gotham Gazette, HUD, Hunts Point, hurricanes, Lower East Side, Manhattan, Mark Treyger, Mike Menser, Municipal Arts Society, NPCC, NYCHA, Nydia Velazquez, One City, participatory budgeting, PlaNYC, Red Hook, resilience, Rockaways, Sandy, sea walls, sea-level rise, sirr, social resiliency, Staten Island, Steve Cohen, storm surge, Vincent Ignizio, waterfront ·

Archives

April 16, 2015 by Sarah Crean

RESILIENCY SPOTLIGHT: Staten Island, Awaiting Next Storm, Balances Long-Term Planning, Short-Term Needs

Staten Island after Sandy, Nov. 9, 2012 . Source: Walter Jennings via FEMA

Staten Island after Sandy, Nov. 9, 2012 . Source: Walter Jennings via FEMA

Just over half of the deaths caused by Superstorm Sandy, 22 to be exact, occurred on Staten Island’s East and South shores, as the storm’s waves battered homes and swept some off their foundations.

Now the island is in a race against time to prepare for the next major coastal storm. Multi-million dollar resiliency projects are coming to Staten Island, from a sea wall on its East Shore to the expansion of innovative “natural drainage corridors.”

The projects are on target, say local officials, but the pace needs to be faster.

The island’s East Shore is directly exposed to the New York Bight, a coastline formation that can channel powerful storm waves and surges into areas within New York Harbor.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is planning to construct a “mega” sea wall that will protect over half of the East Shore, from the Verrazano Bridge to Oakwood, said Staten Island Borough President James Oddo in a phone interview.

The Army Corps will be releasing a draft feasibility study on the proposed wall to the public next month.

Oddo estimated that the wall would be completed by 2020 or 2021. The city and state are also assisting with its construction, he said.

“This is a different timetable than [the initial plans] we talked about,” added the borough president. “Help has been all too slow in coming…There will be several hurricane seasons.”

What happens between now and 2020 or 2021?

Continue reading →

Posted in Resilience, SPECIAL REPORTS · Tagged Adaptation, Army Corps, Bill de Blasio, Bloomberg, blue belts, Build It Back, climate change, CUNY J School, disaster preparedness, elevation, flood barriers, flooding, hurricanes, James Oddo, resilience, Sandy, sea-level rise, Staten Island, storm surge, Vincent Ignizio ·

Archives

March 26, 2015 by by David Howard King, Gotham Gazette

GOTHAM GAZETTE: Hurting Homeowners Say Bank Settlement Funds Belong with Them

A home rebuilt after Sandy (photo: @NYCBuilditBack)

A home rebuilt after Sandy (photo: @NYCBuilditBack)

Mar 26, 2015 — More than two years on and David Velez’s battle with Hurricane Sandy is far from over. But, thanks to some help from the Attorney General’s office, Velez’s fight with his mortgage lender may soon be coming to an end.

The first floor of the retired NYPD officer’s home in Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn was destroyed by flooding during the hurricane, and without help from insurance he and his wife used their savings to rebuild.

Unfortunately, after the construction was complete an architect from the City’s Build it Back program deemed the residence structurally unsafe. Velez and his family moved out of the home this past October and were told that demolition would begin in November. Now March, Velez is still waiting for Department of Housing Preservation and Development contractors to begin construction of his home. While the program has gotten a shot in the arm under Mayor Bill de Blasio, the pace is still too slow for many.

Even living out of his home there is another reminder of the damage Sandy has done: Velez gets regular calls from Citibank representatives asking when he will catch up on his mortgage. “They even called me the day I had cancer surgery to remove a tumor,” said Velez who was advised like other Sandy victims that he could stop mortgage payments while his home was being rebuilt, only for his lender to demand missed payments immediately after the forbearance was over.

It is a call increasingly familiar to homeowners across the state who are behind on their mortgages, whether from unexpected disasters like Hurricane Sandy or thanks to the economic downturn of 2008 and subsequent recession. Even in 2014, New York City saw a 33 percent increase in first-time foreclosures compared to the year before, according to one recent study.

Continue reading →

Posted in Rebuilding · Tagged Brooklyn, Build It Back, flooding, Gotham Gazette, homeowners, rebuilding ·

Archives

March 18, 2015 by By Samar Khurshid

GOTHAM GAZETTE/NYER: Coastal Communities Risk Being Swept Away by Rising Insurance Costs

Homes in the Rockaways (photo: Samar Khurshid)

Homes in the Rockaways (photo: Samar Khurshid)

Mar 18, 2015 – New Yorkers were exposed to the harsh realities of climate change when Superstorm Sandy hit more than two years ago. Those living in coastal neighborhoods like Coney Island and the Rockaways are struggling to deal with the mounting impacts of climate change. But now it’s not just the storms they fear, it’s the rising cost of flood insurance that threatens to drown them.

Come next year, revised flood zone maps issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) go into effect, expanding the amount of land considered at high-risk of flooding. The new maps will include roughly 60,000 more buildings, according to an analysis by the City Comptroller’s office. The city’s high-risk flood zones will soon be home to 400,457 New Yorkers, an increase of 84% from the current 218,088.

The projected increase in flood insurance premiums is significant. For a typical home in the high-risk zones, insurance premiums could increase from around $1,000 in 2014 to nearly $14,500 by 2030.

Flood zones have expanded in every borough. The increase is particularly dramatic along the eastern and western edges of Staten Island, and in South Brooklyn and South Queens.

Continue reading →

Posted in Sandy's Lessons · Tagged Brooklyn, Coney Island, FEMA, flood insurance, flooding, Gotham Gazette, homeowners, New York Environment Report, Queens, rebuilding, Rockaways, Sandy, Staten Island ·

Archives

November 1, 2014 by A. Adam Glenn

CURATION: Outpouring of Sandy Anniversary Coverage

Sandy Anniversary Brings Outpouring of News & Analysis, Investigations & Remembrances

It’s been two years since Superstorm Sandy slammed the New York metro area, causing deaths, displacement and billions in damage. News coverage of all kinds was extensive.

Posted in Sandy's Lessons · Tagged Adaptation, AdaptNY, Bill de Blasio, curation, Mark Treyger, rebuilding, recovery, resilience, Sandy, sea-level rise ·
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Harlem Heat Resources

  • Excessive Heat Events Guidebook (EPA)
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  • REPORT: Northern Manhattan Heat Risks (We Act)
  • REPORT: Reducing urban heat improves livability (CCNY)
  • Report: Socioeconomic factors increase heat-related death risk in NYC
  • We Act Northern Manhattan Climate Action Plan

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