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Part of Bloomberg’s Proposed Plan (Source: nyc.gov)

Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s ambitious and massive $20 billion storm protection program that seeks to safeguard New York City from future extreme weather catastrophes faces some serious obstacles before it becomes reality. The New York Times is reporting that the plan will have to pass through the ringer of City Hall, Albany, Washington, government agencies, zoning panels and community groups before construction ever begins.

Yesterday we reported on the stark climate data that inspired Bloomberg to come up with a massively detailed storm protection plan, that if enacted, would be his greatest legacy. The plan, which calls for massive construction projects and the placement of a network of seawalls and bulkheads across the city’s coastline, would dramatically alter the look and landscape of the city. The $20 billion price doesn’t figure in estimated billions more needed for the project as it will inevitably grow in size and scope. But the cost and construction would represent only the final hurdles of the ambitious plan.

Andy Darrell, New York regional director of the Environmental Defense Fund explained the key of bringing the plan together.

“Many of these solutions will require an unprecedented level of cooperation,” Darrell told the Times. “We know how to do these things. What we have to do is clear a path.”

Columbia geophysicist Klaus Jacob agreed with Darrell’s assessment.

“A plan is a plan is a plan,” Jacob told the Times. “But there will be a hard reality of how to put this into action. Many of the infrastructure systems that the city depends on are not under city control.”

With Bloomberg serving out his final term, part of the problem will be how much leadership the future mayor invests in the project. While candidates like Council Speaker Christine Quinn support the project, others, like Public Advocate Bill de Blasio raised questions.

“Many questions remain. As we review the plan, we must ensure that it truly serves the needs of low-income residents without a safety net, many of whom suffered the worst and longest-lasting impacts from Superstorm Sandy,” de Blasio told the Times.

Source: Coney Island Hospital

It’s a boy!

Sheepshead Bites offers a hearty congratulations to Anastacia St. Juste and her newborn baby Amari, a beautiful boy who is among the first to enter this world at Coney Island Hospital (2601 Ocean Parkway) since Superstorm Sandy struck in October 2012.

Amari, weighing a petite 6 pounds, 12 ounces, was born on Tuesday at 10:55 p.m., just a smidgen more than 24 hours after the reopening of the Labor & Delivery unit on Monday. Amari and his beaming mother, pictured above with Ob/Gyn chair Toni Stern, are both healthy and happy.

The reopening of the Labor & Delivery unit marks one of the final steps in Coney Island Hospital’s service recovery. Just about all units and services have returned to the hospital, including badly-needed 911 intake. The hospital shut down entirely in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, as water damaged the institution’s equipment and infrastructure, and rendered destruction in the facility’s ground floors. Repairs to the hospital and preventative measures for future floods are expected to cost more than $200 million.

If you have a question about the status specific services, you can call the hospital’s main line at (718) 616-3000.

Source: Jacinta Quesada via Wikimedia Commons

Rising temperatures, more hurricanes and torrential flooding; these are the increasingly extreme weather factors that New Yorkers are expected to live with over the next 50 years. The New York Times is reporting on the statistics released by the Bloomberg administration that indicate the onset of climate change and its effects on the city’s coastline in the coming decades.

The study released by Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s office states that the number of city residents living in the 100-year flood plain will nearly double from 398,000 currently estimated to be at risk, to 800,000 by the year 2050. Another disturbing statistic points to how future New Yorkers should expect more scorching summer days and rising sea levels:

Administration officials said that between 1971 and 2000, New Yorkers had an average of 18 days a year with temperatures at or above 90 degrees. By the 2020s, that figure could be as high as 33 days, and by the 2050s, it could reach 57, according to data collected by the New York City Panel on Climate Change…

In 2009, it projected that sea levels would rise by two to five inches by the 2020s. Now, the panel estimates that the sea levels will rise four to eight inches by that time, with a high-end figure of 11 inches. Between 1900 and 2013, sea levels in New York City rose about a foot, administration officials said.

Based on these numbers, it may become pointless for the city’s elderly to retire to Florida as New York becomes a sweltering tropical swamp by the middle of the century.

To fight this encroaching environmental nightmare, Bloomberg also laid out his $20 billion plan to protect the city’s 520 miles of coastline with a network of flood walls, levees and bulkheads. The ambitious plan would also cover improvements to the city’s power grid and infrastructure and making city bridges hurricane proof. Bloomberg was adamant that work on the project begin quickly.

“This plan is incredibly ambitious — and much of the work will extend far beyond the next 203 days — but we refused to pass the responsibility for creating a plan onto the next administration. This is urgent work, and it must begin now,” the Times reported Bloomberg saying.

To put the $20 billion price tag in context, the entire New York City annual budget is approximately $70 billion.

With over 250 recommendations, the large plan is only likely to grow in cost and scope if enacted. An example of this is the proposed construction of “Seaport City,” which would be built just south of the Brooklyn Bridge. The purpose of Seaport City would be to remodel Battery Park City and protect lower Manhattan from flooding. The cost of Seaport City is not figured in the initial $20 billion estimate but is expected to cost billions more.

To reach the minimum $20 billion cost of the project, the city would have to raise $5 billion. As much as $15 billion is already covered by federal and city money already allocated via the Sandy aid package approved by Congress. Bloomberg believes that the cost to protect New York now will far outweigh the cost of restoring New York after a future storm 30 years from now, which he estimates could cost the city upwards of $90 billion. Superstorm Sandy cost the city an estimated $19 billion.

More locally, the city would be planning to install a series of wetlands and tidal barriers to Coney Island, illustrated below.

Source: nyc.gov

All in all, if enacted, Bloomberg’s plan would radically alter the landscape of New York City, transforming its landscape and coastline. The cost would be enormous, but given the extreme weather changes facing the city in the coming decades, the investment might be well worth the cost and effort.

You can read the entire plan here.

The following is a press release from the offices of State Senator Marty Golden:

State Senator Martin J. Golden (R-C-I) today has announced a series  of  new  measures  his  office  is  taking  to assist residents and business  owners  who  suffered  damage due to Superstorm Sandy.  Following last  week’s announcement from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, creating the New York  City  Build  It Back Grant program, Senator Golden is teaming up with both  Neighborhood Improvement Association and The Mayor’s Housing Recovery Office  in  order  to give direct assistance in with grant applications and helping to provide more detailed information.

Starting this week and continuing throughout the application period,  State Senator  Golden and the Neighborhood Improvement Association are sponsoring office  hours  at  2738 Gerritsen Avenue to assist residents in filling out the City’s new Sandy grant program application “Build it Back.”  The office will be open:

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday from 2pm – 5pm
Tuesday from 2pm – 7pm

On  Sunday,  June  23rd,  from  12pm to 4pm, Senator Golden and the Mayor’s Housing  Recovery  Office  are  hosting  a  Forum at PS 277 located at 2529 Gerritsen  Avenue.   Multiple agencies will be answering questions on Sandy grants and issues.

“The reason why I ran for public office was to be a public servant. Helping my  constituents is the most important part of my job as State Senator, and to be able to provide those most in need following the storm is not only my responsibility, but the right thing to do,” said Senator Golden.  “I invite all  who  have  been  effected  by  Sandy to visit my office, or attend the forum, to get more information and fill out a grant application.”

For  more  information  on  both the Forum and help with grant applications please call 718-238-6044.

A Sheepshead Bay home after Sandy.

Ten bills will be introduced in the New York City Council this month addressing storm preparedness in response to concerns about the city’s handling of Superstorm Sandy.

The bills are largely designed to improve response for vulnerable New Yorkers whose needs, proponents say, were poorly addressed in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. Other bills target improvements to the city’s transportation infrastructure when the subway lines are knocked out by natural forces.

The bills are being pushed by Council Speaker Christine Quinn, a mayoral hopeful who largely controls the legislative body’s agenda.

The Wall Street Journal reports:

Under draft legislation, the council would create a task force to make sure every vulnerable or homebound New Yorker is personally visited after a storm. Ms. Quinn and members of council also said they believed the city should keep a database of such New Yorkers, a move the city has opposed on grounds of privacy and because officials have expressed concern about keeping such a list up-to-date.

Ms. Quinn said the city should develop a plan to track the location and medical needs of all individuals taken to special needs shelters. Gov. Andrew Cuomo also announced this week the state had a tracking system in place for the 2013 hurricane season—called NYS e-FINDS.

Additionally, Ms. Quinn also wants a plan to detail roles of the public, private and nonprofit sectors engaged in the distribution of food and water. She has said the distribution was uncoordinated after Sandy—which struck the region on Oct. 29— leaving some shelters without food for residents who had physical or mental disabilities.

The legislation supported by Ms. Quinn also would address the city’s transportation system. The city would be forced to install backup power for streetlights and traffic signals, expand its bus and ferry services using either public or private entities and allow livery drivers to accept passengers who hail them from the street. Her plans would also include the option of closing some streets to all vehicles other than buses or emergency crews.

She added the city should write a fuel-management plan that would guarantee first responders priority for available gas.

The proposals are currently unfunded, and the price tag is unknown, the paper notes.

Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein (Source: assembly.state.ny.us)

As it stands, co-ops devastated by Superstorm Sandy are not currently eligible for FEMA funding and Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein wants to change that. According to a press release, Weinstein believes that laws governing the treatment of co-ops are outdated and need to be amended.

Weinstein’s release explained why FEMA is currently not responsible for funding the repair of co-ops:

While nothing prohibits these co-ops from applying for aid, the Stafford Act, a Federal law last amended in 1988, considers co-op boards not-for-profit businesses. Therefore, aid cannot be applied to common spaces – like garages and laundry rooms – nor can it be applied to the walls and floors in apartments, because, according to bylaws, these spaces belong to and are the Coop’s responsibility.

As a result of Weinstein’s actions, the New York State Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution that asks Congress to amend the Stafford Act so that co-ops are recognized as single-family homeowners which would require FEMA to assist in their repair.

Weinstein explained the importance of getting the law changed in Washington.

“Outdated laws like these are crippling neighborhoods and preventing communities from  returning to normal ways of life,” said Assemblywoman Weinstein. “This amendment would  allow co-op boards to make crucial repairs and provide to their shareholders and tenants the quality of life and safety to which they are entitled. I urge my colleagues in Congress to  immediately adopt this amendment.”

Gerritsen Beach — ignored in the initial wake of Superstorm Sandy — will be getting a little help from their friends in a very big way this week.

The tight-knit neighborhood, which suffered unprecedented damages despite being classified as Zone B flood area (a secondary flood plain where evacuation was not mandatory), will benefit from a one-day volunteer event to help rebuild homes and community areas with the help of the Meredith Corporation, Thursday, June 6 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The publisher of Better Homes and Gardens, Fitness and Every Day with Rachael Ray is partnering with the non-profit organization Rebuilding Together and Lowe’s to mobilize more than 500 volunteers, who will provide badly-needed repair work to a dozen homes, the community center that houses the Vollies (the last volunteer fire department in Brooklyn), and Kiddie Beach.

According to a press release from Meredith Corporation, “Seven months after Hurricane Sandy, vital community areas are still damaged, and many residents are displaced and unable to take on the significant repairs needed for them to return to their homes. This project aims to bring long-term recovery and much-needed repairs to this historic working class neighborhood.”

Volunteers will be working on 14 projects around the community, including:

• Renovating a dozen homes damaged during the storm. Many of the homeowners are life-long residents of Gerritsen Beach, like Jean Nelson who is the widow of a WWII veteran and has lived in the neighborhood since 1948.
• Providing upgrades and repairs to a local community center that supports the last volunteer fire company in Brooklyn.
• Cleaning up and rebuilding recreation areas in Kiddie Beach, a beloved gathering spot for locals during the summer.
• Revitalizing a community park and garden area.
• Providing much-needed services including yard work, painting, fence installation and playground rehabilitation.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled the latest city recovery plan, NYC Build it Back. The program is designed to assist homeowners, landlords and tenants affected by the devastation of Superstorm Sandy. Build it Back costs $648 million and is financed by the initial round of the federal funding in the form of Community Development Block Grants.

According to the press release announcing the new measure, there are four pathways to help Superstorm Sandy victims return to sustainable homes:

• Repair: A NYC Build it Back professional contractor can help eligible participants whose homes require minor to moderate repairs. Registrants also have the option of selecting their own contractor within Federal and program guidelines.

• Rebuild: If a home is substantially damaged and needs to be rebuilt, qualifying participants can choose a home model that is designed specifically for their community, uses the best available resiliency standards and is designed by a NYC Build it Back developer. Alternatively, registrants can choose their own architect and contractor to develop and build their homes within Federal and program guidelines.

• Reimbursement: The City can also help participants recover eligible out-of-pocket costs for minor repairs already made to their homes that satisfy all Department of Housing and Urban Development and other requirements.

• Acquisition: Some owners may want to voluntarily sell their homes and in some cases, the City will be able to work with communities to strategically redevelop these properties in a smarter, more resilient way. Housing Recovery Specialists will be able to explain these options.

For more information or to register, people are encouraged to call 311 or to visit nyc.gov.

From our friends at We Care New York:

Source: niznoz/Flickr

Con Edison needs $1 billion to implement their plan to protect their infrastructure and facilities from future storms. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that ConEd is seeking approval from the state to pass along a $3 monthly rate increase to customers to pay for it.

ConEd’s plan, which would need four years to implement, requires the approval of the New York State Public Service Commission. To date, ConEd has already spent $400 million on infrastructure improvements since Superstorm Sandy cut the power for nearly a million New Yorkers.

ConEd Chief Executive Kevin Burke stressed that the funds are necessary in light of the upcoming hurricane season.

“This is just a beginning, but we knew the hurricane season starts June 1, and we knew we needed to have some measures in place going into the next hurricane season,” Burke told the Wall Street Journal.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2013 is expected to be a “active or extremely active” hurricane season, listing a 70 percent chance that the season will see 13-20 named storms and three to six major hurricanes.