Impacts of Coastal Storm Surge
Coastal storms can severely damage New Yorkers’ homes and personal belongings. Repairing damages to a home, including mechanical systems and plumbing or replacing belongings, can be costly and place financial strain on homeowners, renters, and businesses, and especially on low-income households that may already be struggling. FEMA estimates that 1 inch of water can cause as much as $25,000 in damages.
Coastal surge flooding can also impair critical community facilities like schools, libraries, spaces for youth and senior services, and cultural sites. These spaces serve as support centers during and after storms. Coastal surge flooding can disrupt and damage critical infrastructure ranging from energy and to wastewater treatment plants. Critical facilities, infrastructure, and services may be inaccessible to residents during or after a coastal surge event due to damage and potential power outages.
Coastal storm surge flooding not only directly impacts the public health and lives of people, homes and businesses in the floodplain but cascading impacts from the flooding can impact critical city infrastructure—such as power plants, hospitals, or transportation networks—in surrounding areas. These impacts can interfere with people’s ability to move around the city before, during, and after coastal storms.