NYC Comptroller releases storm response report
NEW YORK - It may be 7 months in the rear-view mirror, but most remember the more than 8 inches of rain Tropical Storm Ophelia dumped on New Yorkers back in September.
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander’s office released a report Monday shedding more light on the storm's impact on the city, which forced 11 FDNY rescues, flooded 45 subway stations, and caused severe disruptions to 11 subway lines.
The report also outlined the city’s storm preparations which ultimately impacted residents.
"This report is a recommendation to the city to get more ready and show New Yorkers it's getting more ready," Lander told FOX 5 NY.
"Is New York Ready for Rain?" looked into the city’s storm operations, public and community preparedness, and agency coordination.
The report shared 3 major takeaways:
It revealed 2 thirds of the city’s catch basin cleaning trucks were out of service with only 19 out of about 50 trucks ready for use across all 5 boroughs
The Report criticizes the Mayor for not appointing a city "Extreme Weather Coordinator". He finally did so last month putting Deputy Mayor Camille Joseph Varlack in that role
Finally, and crucially, the report concluded city public communication channels were just too slow.
"The mayor didn't give a press conference until several hours after heavy rains were already falling. the schools did not communicate what was going to be happening what was going to be happening at the end of the school day until it almost was the end the school day," Lander added.
It highlighted just under 3 percent of New Yorkers, 2.7 to be exact, older than 16 received the opt-in Notify NYC alerts about the flooding.
Mayor Adams's office reached out in response to the report sharing this statement in part saying:"Our city agencies inspected over 900 catch basins, distributed thousands of flood barriers, rain barrels, and other protective tools, and got the word out to millions of New Yorkers two days ahead of the event."
