Laurel McGinley, PE

Dewberry Consultants LLC

Storm Preparedness & Hazard Mitigation for Post-Sandy Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY

Red Hook (Brooklyn), New York

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Map data © 2015 Google

Photo: Huffington Post

Photo: CNN

Photo: Al Jazeera America

• Flooded structures

• Extended and widespread power outages

• Workers and customers without reliable transportation

• No central source for recovery information or assistance

Hurricane Sandy Small Business Impacts

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• Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ)

• Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation (SBIDC)

Project Sponsors

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• Constantly changing

• Methods to identify risk are improving

Flood Risk

Manhattan at European Settlement Manhattan today

NYC Evacuation Zones

Southwest Brooklyn(Zone AE 12)

Zone AE = High Flood RiskEL 12 = Base Flood Elevation of 12’ above sea level (not above the ground) during 1% annual chance event (100 year flood)

Methodology:• Red Hook background• Business operations• Hurricane Sandy impacts • Storm preparedness

challenges• Mitigation solutions

Mitigation Case Studies

Mitigation Case Studies • Case studies calibrated more general mitigation

solutions:• Hazard environment• Range of businesses• Owned vs. leased space• Different building types

• Small Artisan Fabricator: Flickinger Glass Works

• Mid-size Manufacturer: Linda Tool

• Café Restaurant: Ft. Defiance

Small Business Case Studies

• Buildings• Flooding• Power loss

• Infrastructure (transportation)• Staff access to business• Erratic response time

for services recovery

• Business Operations• Loss of documents• Lack of back-up of key records• IT and Telecommunications

Hazard Risks

Super storm Sandy flood water receding from MTA R line tunnel

• Flood damage to business assets

• Operating equipment• Business records• Contents

• Staff availability/mobility• Mass transit-

dependent• Damaged

transportation infrastructure

• Information on recovery assistance

• Public sources• Private sources

Common Challenges

Post Sandy flooding of MTA subway station

Business Operations:

• Mid-size manufacturer of machined airline/space industry parts

• Custom fabrication of finished metal parts/components

Linda Tool

Hurricane Sandy Impacts

• Flood depth of 3 ft. in loading dock bay

• Sewer line back flow contaminated mechanical room and locker/restroom area

• Eleven months later still working to fulfill backlog orders

Linda Tool

High water mark in mechanical/electrical switchgear room

Temporary Mitigation Measures

• Install temporary flood barrier at loading bay door

• Install temporary flood barrier on plant floor around the loading bay

• Institute emergency staff, supplier, and client call-down

Linda Tool

Approximate top of temporary Flood Barrier

• Install backflow preventer valve

• Install watertight pedestrian doors

• Reorganize plant floor storage to elevate critical equipment

Linda Tool

Small tools and measuring equipmentStored at floor level

Permanent Mitigation Solutions

• One day workshop for all businesses in Red Hook

• Vulnerabilities and mitigation options

• Case studies discussion

• Preparedness plan templates

Preparedness Planning Workshop

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Know your Hazard Risks & Consequences

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• Old urban, coastal neighborhoods present unique challenges

• Small businesses are underserved by our community

• Small businesses have unique building space and specific challenges

• They often rent space, so cannot mitigate easily

• Preparedness planning is essential to protect business operations, leading to resiliency

Lessons Learned