As federal law shifts to address resilience in post-Hurricane Sandy New York, the Department of City Planning has released a new manual to help residents and landowners understand options for retrofitting their buildings to prepare for floods.
"On October 8th, 2014, the Department of City Planning released Retrofitting Buildings for Flood Risk, the most comprehensive analysis of retrofit options available for buildings in the New York City floodplain to date," according to the New York City Department of City Planning website.
The manual "is designed to shed light on retrofitting strategies that will enable home and property owners to reduce the risk of damage and disruption from coastal flooding. The manual also highlights the limitations of current Federal regulations for buildings in urban environments like New York City," according to a press release announcing the manual.
The press release goes on to describe some of the changing laws and regulations regarding flood zones in New York City. For instance: "Recent Congress legislation reforming the [National Flood Insurance Program] will increase flood insurance premiums for buildings that are not retrofitted to protect against flooding."
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