Monthly Forum: Flood Resiliency in NYC 10 Years After Sandy
April 17, 2022
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, a Category 4 “Super Storm” that caused 19 billion dollars in damage, taking 43 lives in New York City alone. By the morning of October 30th 2012, much of the city was without power and vital infrastructure and thousands of buildings were flooded due to both record storm surge and relentless rain.
Hurricane Sandy not only exposed New York City’s vulnerabilities in its lack of flood mitigation infrastructure needed to fend off the imminent threat of climate change, but it also revealed the inadequacies in the government’s ability to successfully administer a disaster relief recovery plan. With a budget of over 2 billion dollars, the city’s Build it Back program was intended to fund the construction of homes for eligible residents, but it wasn’t without controversy– lack of manpower, disorganization, and poor guidelines would mean millions of dollars wasted and hundreds without their promised homes.
In the wake of hurricane Ida last fall, we are left wondering if NYC is truly prepared for the onslaught of storms to come, both in terms of flood mitigation capabilities and flood-related repairs and reconstruction that will inevitably be needed.
By attending this session participants will: Understand the depth of destruction and rehabilitation from Sandy in the tri-state area Learn the complexity of disaster recovery nationally and locally See the need for investment in future recovery and resiliency projectsIn addition to the forum, our monthly volunteer orientation will take place right before the event, starting at 6:00 pm. If you’re interested in joining GreenHomeNYC as a volunteer, please review opportunities on our website, and register for a monthly orientation on Eventbrite.
SPEAKERS
Laurie Schoeman, Director, Climate and Sustainability Capital, Enterprise Community PartnersLaurie Schoeman oversees Enterprise Community Partners’ efforts to preserve and protect affordable housing across the nation from the risks and impacts of natural hazards and a changing climate. Her team assists CDCs, cities, states and the federal government in a wide range of communities across the nation to develop housing that can sustain impacts of natural hazards and incorporate innovative resiliency ideas, technical assistance, and advocacy support into post-event reconstruction of communities. She leads the development of guidance and tools such as the Keep Safe guide to resilient housing and design in Island Communities.
Laurie has led leading edge policy packages including passing the nation’s first utility-sponsored environmental justice policy in San Francisco and a package of Green Building legislation and policy in New York City. She currently advises a range of agencies/organizations on housing resilience, adaptation and mitigation including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), International Code Council (ICC), Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS) and US Department of Energy (USDOE).
Alex Wilson, President of the Resilient Design InstituteAlex Wilson is the Founder and President of The Resilient Design Institute, a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization committed to advancing resilient buildings and communities in the face of more intense storms, more frequent flooding, drought, extended power outages, and potential shortages of heating and transportation fuels. Alex is also the founder of BuildingGreen, Inc. in Brattleboro, Vermont, an 18-person company that has served the design and construction industry with non-biased information on environmentally responsible design and construction since 1985.
He is author of Your Green Home (2006), and co-author of Green Development: Integrating Ecology and Real Estate (1998), and the Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings (1990, 9th edition, 2007). He has also co-authored a series of four guidebooks on quiet-water canoeing and kayaking for the Appalachian Mountain Club.
NOTE: Zoom waiting room opens at 6:25 pm. To respect the time of our speakers and guests, the event will begin promptly at 6:30 pm.If you have any questions, please contact the GreenHomeNYC Forums group at [email protected].