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Storms, heavy rains, and intense hurricanes are becoming more frequent and severe with climate change. This June, Hurricane Beryl was the earliest category 5 storm on record. As the City gears up for what’s expected to be an abnormally active hurricane season, the Comptroller’s Office is monitoring key preparedness indicators through November 2024 to assess the City’s ongoing readiness for severe storms. City government has a crucial role to play in managing emergency response to severe storms and flooding, from communicating emergency alerts to cleaning catch basins to building more resilient infrastructure. It is critical that we pay sharp attention to these issues to ensure our city is as prepared as we can be for climate emergencies. Earlier this summer, the Comptroller’s Office requested data from the City on key preparedness indicators. Our goal to provide transparency to help ensure that New Yorkers are kept safe in the face of climate threats and disasters. As of August 2024, the City has made modest progress to increase enrollment in emergency notifications, replace aging catch basins, and spend all of the post-Sandy recovery and resiliency funds, but far more is needed to be fully prepared for heavy storms.
| Indicator | Progress as of August 2024 | Evaluation |
|---|---|---|
| NotifyNYC emergency weather enrollment | 1,258,474 people are enrolled in NotifyNYC, compared to 1,224,949 subscribers in April 2024. | NotifyNYC subscribers only increased by 2.7% (33,525 subscribers) since last April. |
| Basement alert enrollment | NYCEM doubled the number of people enrolled in basement alerts from 2,387 subscribers to 5,147 subscribers in April 2024. | Improved but that still only makes up 1-2% of the estimated number of basement residents. |
| Availability rate for specialized catch basin cleaning trucks | The City only has 19 working catch basin cleaning trucks, representing 39% of its total fleet. | No Progress, this number remains unchanged as of April 2024. |
| Number of full catch basin replacements completed | DEP has replaced 48 catch basins out of 1,500 identified as needing replacement. | In progress, but only represents 3.2% of the total replacements. |
| Number of catch basin hardware replacements completed | DEP has replaced hardware for 131 catch basins of 1,927 identified as needing replacement. | In progress, but only represents 6.7% of the total replacements. |
| Post-Sandy FEMA Recovery and Resiliency Spending | 75% of funds have been spent, compared to 66% in 2022. | Improved, but still significant funds unspent at 23 agencies. |
| Post-Sandy HUD CDBG-DR Recovery and Resiliency Spending | 97% of funds have been spent, up from 92% in 2022. | Improved |
