The New York City Council this week enacted laws implementing five recommendations of the Building Resiliency Task Force, led by Urban Green Council following Superstorm Sandy.
This first package of laws will make NYC better prepared for future hurricanes and extreme weather by:
Requiring new automatic faucets and toilets to have at least two weeks of battery backup so buildings can remain habitable during power failures;
Requiring new buildings in flood zones to be equipped with valves that prevent sewage from backing up into the building;
Creating a manual on construction requirements in flood zones;
Studying the effects of hurricane winds on existing buildings, and forecasting future storms;
Piloting programs on road and sidewalk materials that absorb water, making them the first line of defense against flooding;
Together, these laws will implement 20 percent of the legislative recommendations of the Task Force. More are expected this fall.
“In one swoop, the City Council has made New York City safer from hurricanes and flooding,” said Russell Unger, executive director of Urban Green Council and Chair of the NYC Building Resiliency Task Force. “As our building stock is renovated in the years to come, we’ll become better and better prepared.”
