New York City to Provide Inflatable Dams to Homeowners at Risk for Floods

Homes at high risk for flooding in New York City will receive free inflatable dams in a new plan rolled out Thursday by Mayor Eric Adams.

The plan aims to prepare city dwellers for extreme rainfall and costs the taxpayers an estimated $2.5 million. It comes more than a month into the 2022 hurricane season, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates could result in 6 to 10 hurricanes.

“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,” Adams said in a statement.

The mayor’s new plan marks a shift toward individual responsibility on climate since Hurricane Ida, a Category 4 storm that caused severe damage in New York and New Jersey and resulted in dozens of deaths nationwide. On Thursday, the city released a resource guide called “Rainfall Ready NYC” to help residents make individual plans for extreme weather.

“Our climate is changing and that means increasingly common extreme weather impacting New York City, but there are measures we can take to prepare ourselves,” said Department of Environmental Protection commissioner Rit Aggarwala.

Around 8,000 homes, ranging from one to four units, in the city’s most flood-prone areas are set to receive letters in the next few weeks informing them of their eligibility for the inflatable dams. The homes were picked based on a new map the city issued that models risk for storms. Those residents may then collect dams and sandbags from distribution points in August, ahead of the height of the hurricane season, with the resources tailored to the layout and circumstances of the home.

The city has about 25,000 dams on hand, a Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson told NY1. Currently, each dam sells for around $44 on Amazon.

Photo: Eddie, an immigrant from Mexico, walks through his flooded basement level apartment in a Queens neighborhood that saw massive flooding and numerous deaths following a night of heavy wind and rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida on September 03, 2021 in New York City.