Sunday, December 9, 2012

Bloomberg's Rx for next hurricane: lift building height requirements


From the Huffington Post:

Before Sandy, the city had already made and touted its efforts to prepare for global warming and storms. Measures have included requiring some new developments in flood zones to be elevated, restoring wetlands as natural barriers and examining other coast-protection strategies, which the city says it now will study in more depth.

But Sandy's storm surge, a modern record, flooded beyond the area officials had expected – emergency managers had figured there was only a 1 percent chance of the 14-foot stack of water Sandy sent into the Battery in lower Manhattan, Bloomberg said. The experience made it clear that utilities, hospitals and transit systems need to be better prepared.

Toward that end, Bloomberg said he has instructed economic development and planning officials to assess what it will take to make power grids, transportation networks, telecommunications systems and hospitals able to handle a Category 2 hurricane, record-breaking heat wave or other natural disaster.

Bloomberg says officials also will take another look at evacuation zones – the most vulnerable area, called Zone A, already was expanded after Tropical Storm Irene last year. He also wants to revisit building and zoning codes, particularly height restrictions that could discourage people from elevating their homes.


How about making elevation of homes mandatory instead of throwing another bone to developers?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

My Rx
Jetties & dunes in Rockaway
seawalls in Broad Channel & Howard Beach
raise all below grade streets to legal height
provide clear information to homeowners of single & 2 family on affordable ways to protect properties from future storms to help minimize damage
property tax moratorium for 1 yr on storm damaged homes if funds are provably used for repairs or mitigation

Anonymous said...

That Bloomberg, boy he sure is sharp as a marble!

Anonymous said...

I just do not understand why people are saying - well nothing.

Does this mean that those that can do something no longer care - because they are making money from real estate or Bloomberg as managed to chase out New Yorkers in exchange for transients in Manhattan - the outer Bs are just so freakin passive they will put up with anything shoved down their throats?

What happened to the NY spirit?

Anonymous said...

What happened to the NY spirit?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It's in the rumble seat. Wanna snort?

Anonymous said...

Why not build the houses on top of all the dead children and adults that got killed because decades ago they didnt install surge gates in nyc. That would give plenty of additional altitude. (
note my sarcasm)
That city is a disaster, and that was becore the storm.

Anonymous said...

Maybe there should be a height requirement to be Mayor of New York Shitty?

Why doesn't Mayor Mike pass a law banning hurricanes?

Anonymous said...

Forget a bike sharing program, change it to one for boats.

Anonymous said...

Main thing to do is move all the rich folks to higher ground, shove all the poor folks to the flood areas (like they do in Bangladesh or any other third world dump) and just let poor folks die and suffer. Then they won’t have to do anything or spend a penny. Problem solved.

Jerry Rotondi said...

That's right, Mr. Mayor--
close the barn door after the horse has run away!

I really don't who's the bigger jerk, Der Mayor or the voters who gave him his 3rd term.