NYC wasn’t prepared for flooding during Tropical Storm Ophelia: comptroller

NEW YORK (PIX11) – New York City’s response to rain and flooding is under scrutiny.

Comptroller Brad Lander claimed the city wasn’t ready for the flooding from Tropical Storm Ophelia back in September, pointing the finger at Mayor Eric Adams in a new report.

An investigation into the city’s response found that it didn’t have the right staff or communications protocol in place when massive flooding hit, Lander claimed. The storm brought almost nine inches of rain to the city.

See it: NYC under water after storm causes havoc

Two-thirds of the city’s catch basin cleaning trucks, a crucial part of flood prevention, were out of service when the storm hit, according to Lander’s report. That meant there were only 19 trucks to clean catch basins across the five boroughs.

Lander also said not enough New Yorkers received emergency alerts about the flooding on their phones.

The city also didn’t have an extreme weather coordinator at the time when the storm hit, according to the report. The role has since been assigned to the mayor’s Chief of Staff, Camille Joseph Varlack, City Hall said.

Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.

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