Here's what's going to happen next time extreme rainfall hits NYC

Did you know that last year, New York City experienced record-breaking rainfall? A historical storm in September even left 13 New Yorkers dead. It should come as no surprise then that the city has officially released a plan to prepare for extreme rainfall moving forward.

Dubbed "Rainfall Ready NYC," the outline includes updated flood zone maps that will help citizens understand whether they live in an area at risk of flooding or not.

"Climate change is the city’s biggest environmental threat, and while we continue to invest in resiliency and infrastructure projects to protect us for generations to come, the 'Rainfall Ready NYC' action plan will help every New Yorker to protect themselves, their families and their homes," said mayor Eric Adams in a statement accompanying the release of the document. "The city is acting now to keep New Yorkers safe as we move into hurricane season, and I encourage every New Yorker to make emergency plans for the next extreme weather event."

Those plans heavily rely on the use of the new interactive map that will allow all to assess the level of risk associated to the location of their home.

Other guidelines include clearing debris from catch basins in at-risk locations before storms and the expansion of the FloodNet system, "a network of street flooding sensors designed to better understand the frequency, severity, and impacts of flooding in New York City," according to an official press release. "These sensors will be installed in the most vulnerable areas for real-time data collection and will be accessible via a dashboard for public use beginning later this month."

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is also planning on providing sandbags and flood barriers to residents in at-risk neighborhoods.

Food delivery apps like Uber Eats, GrubHub and DoorDash have also been engaged to "create new strategies for ensuring extreme weather messaging reaches delivery workers." Needless to say, there will be protocols in place ensuring the safety of all delivery workers. 

We suggest all city dwellers read through the plans as hurricane season is slowly approaching and it's never too early to prepare for a possible storm.