FEMA cuts threaten NYC’s ability to protect against future flash flooding

It was one of the heaviest rainfalls ever recorded at the weather observation station in Central Park. On Monday, over two inches of rain fell between 7 and 8 p.m., second only to the deluge that drenched New York four years ago when the remnants of Hurricane Ida passed over the city.

Social media lit up with videos of flash floods across the five boroughs – water cascading down staircases into subway stations, people being rescued from partially submerged cars on highways. The widespread flooding served as a reminder of how vulnerable the city is to extreme rain events. It also prompted public officials to repeat calls for the federal government to restore funds taken away from critical storm resiliency projects just months before. 

In April, the Trump administration rescinded $4.6 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency funding, money that was already approved for nearly 2000 projects across the U.S. through Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grants. They were designed to help municipalities defray the cost of critical infrastructure improvements. 

Over $351 million in BRIC grants were promised to New York state for dozens of storm mitigation projects. That money disappeared. Monday’s flash floods prompted New York Attorney General Letitia James to join 19 other states in a lawsuit against FEMA seeking restoration of the grants. “This administration’s decision to slash billions of dollars that protect our communities from floods, wildfires, and other disasters puts millions of New Yorkers at risk,” James said in a written statement. She said the administration “has no authority to cut this program that has helped save countless lives.”

Mayor Eric Adams signed a declaration supporting the lawsuit. He wrote, “Flooding and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, and it will take investments from all levels of government, including our federal partners, to keep New Yorkers safe and prepared against these types of emergencies.”

The majority of the $351 million in rescinded funding impacts projects in New York City. The New York City comptroller’s Chief Climate Officer Louise Yeung shared a list of impacted projects with City & State. Here’s what those projects would have done.

NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION PROJECTS

Central Harlem cloudburst flood mitigation

$50 million 

The Central Harlem Cloudburst Hub aims to reduce storm-related runoff and flooding during high intensity rainfall events through improvements such as upgrades to stormwater infrastructure. The project is focused on a 370-acre area with primarily disadvantaged and low-income neighborhoods. It contains six schools, two daycare centers, three hospitals, six houses of worship and three elder care facilities. 

East Elmhurst cloudburst flood mitigation  

$50 million 

The East Elmhurst Cloudburst Hub aims to protect a primarily residential neighborhood by reducing storm-related runoff and flooding during heavy rainfall by strengthening and adding to stormwater infrastructure. Plans call for a mix of porous pavement with rain gardens, bioswales and underground water detention that slows the release of stormwater into the sewer system over a 485-acre area. 

Kissena corridor cloudburst hub 

$46.6 million 

Like the project in East Elmhurst, designs for the Kissena neighborhood project aim to reduce storm-related runoff and flooding by integrating traditional underground drainage infrastructure with above-ground solutions. Specifically, the focus is to enhance stormwater management through storage and surface flow infrastructure, while developing urban areas with benefits for residents and local businesses. 

Corona East cloudburst hub   

$47 million 

Flooding in Corona, like in other parts of Queens, was extreme during the Hurricane Ida event in 2021. This project also marries improvements to traditional underground drainage infrastructure with above-ground gray and green solutions like porous pavement and rain gardens. It also includes below ground water detention features that would slow the release of captured stormwater into the sewer system.

NYCHA PROJECTS

Stormwater protections for Nostrand and Sheepshead Bay Houses  

$18.8 million 

While NYCHA received the largest FEMA grant in history - $3.3 billion - for storm resiliency work at properties severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy in 2012, recent extreme rain events showed how even public housing developments not impacted by Sandy were still vulnerable to the impacts of flash floods. This BRIC grant was funding a stormwater mitigation project around two large NYCHA campuses in southern Brooklyn and the installation of back-up emergency power generation. 

Breukelen Houses stormwater protection 

$16 million 

A phased flood mitigation project around a public housing complex on the border of Canarsie and East New York would mitigate flood risk from a 10-year storm with a 4.8–foot sea level rise. The development sits next to Fresh Creek at Jamaica Bay, making it vulnerable to flooding from both coastal storms and cloudbursts. The planned work includes new below-ground drainage basins and green infrastructure designed to collect water. 

Polo Grounds Houses coastal storm surge barrier 

$11.5 million federal funds 

This NYCHA property sits on the site of a former baseball stadium next to the Harlem River, making it vulnerable to both cloudburst and sea level rise flooding. The project would construct a floodwall to protect the property and an adjacent public school.

NEW YORK CITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORP. PROJECTS

Seaport coastal resilience project  

$42.2 million 

The project is designed to reduce flood risk to the Historic South Street Seaport by strengthening and improving infrastructure to mitigate impacts from multiple hazards including coastal flooding, sea level rise, extreme rainfall and urban heat island effect. Infrastructure improvements and flood barriers would protect the seaport, nearby businesses and residential buildings between John Street and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Hunts Point food security mitigation 

$13 million

Around 60% of the fresh produce New Yorkers eat and 50% of meat and fish comes through the Hunts Point Market. Located in the southern Bronx on a peninsula in the East River, it’s highly vulnerable to flooding and storms. This project would protect critical facilities from flooding and assure back-up power to food storage facilities.

NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS

Stormwater flooding building codes provision development

$468,000 

The grant supported a Department of Buildings initiative to develop stormwater flooding building code provisions addressing safety risks and potential damage from stormwater flooding. Once developed and adopted, the code provisions would apply to at-risk buildings as part of a wider initiative to improve storm resiliency across New York City.