The new normal: Combating storm-related extreme weather in New York City

This paper examines how storm-related extreme weather in New York City can be combated. Climate change is a public health, environmental and racial justice priority in New York City. For the past eight years, the city has responded more aggressively than any major city in the nation to tackle the threat of climate change and protect its people. The city have implemented the New York City Green New Deal – investing $14 billion to ensure a 30% reduction in emissions by 2030, and expanding renewable energy use throughout the city. New York has partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on initiatives like the Rockaways Atlantic Shorefront Resiliency Project to protect shoreline communities most vulnerable to storms. And it has reimagined the city’s coastline through efforts like the Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency Projects, working to create a continuous line of protection against rising sea levels and storms. In the wake of Ida, it is clear that it must go even further.

Some of the key take-aways from this paper include:

1. New York will plan for the worst-case scenario in every instance.

2. The city will continue to upgrade storm modeling, tracking, and alert systems.

3. It will broaden protection for inland communities, not only our coastlines.

4. New York will continue to prioritize investments in low-income neighborhoods, immigrant communities, and communities of color.

5. It will re-imagine our sewage and drainage system, and rapidly increase green infrastructure and cloudburst solutions