FLOOD MARKET
Meet the New Yorkers who choose to live on shores prone to storm surges
THE hundreds of thousands of people who live along New York City’s 520 miles of waterfront have spent the seven years since Hurricane Sandy wondering whether the city is prepared for another wallop. So far, the answer seems to be: Not really.
The city’s online Flood Hazard Mapper shows areas labeled “high risk” for flooding. It’s not just oceanfront areas like Coney Island, the Rockaways and the eastern shore of Staten Island, but also swaths of the East Village and the Upper East Side plus parts of Long Island City, Greenpoint and the South Bronx. The sheer diversity of waterfront neighborhoods means that people of all income levels are vulnerable, though the city says smaller buildings with one to four families face 10 times the risk of apartment buildings.
“I defy anyone to tell me New York City is ready for the next Hurricane Sandy,” city councilman Justin Brannan, who represents Bay Ridge, tweeted in late July, when heavy rains knocked out power, and, in a viral video, caused riders on a Staten Island bus to climb onto seats as rainwater rushed in. That was early in hurricane season, which starts June 1 but typically peaks in late summer before ending Nov. 30. “I want to be wrong, but I know I’m not,” Brannan added.
About 80 percent of vulnerable properties in coastal areas like Coney Island, Canarsie and Far Rockaway are still without flood insurance, according to news site The City. That’s not much progress for a city that both acknowledges the threat of storms and climate change and has worked hard to rebuild beaches and homes destroyed after Sandy surged through on Oct. 29, 2012, killing 43 New Yorkers and severely damaging thousands of homes. After the storm, the city launched the Build It Back program to use federal funds to assist residents with recovery, repairs and or storm-proofing homes. The initiative, plagued with complaints of poor management and delays, has cost the city a more-than-projected $2.2 billion. A study this year revealed more than half of Build It Back applicants dropped out before getting any benefits. The feds have also agreed to build a $615 million, 5-mile sea wall to help protect Staten Island.
Given all the risks, who still buys property in threatened areas? The Post talked to three homeowners in “high risk” places to find out.