Laurel McGinley, PE
Dewberry Consultants LLC
Storm Preparedness & Hazard Mitigation for Post-Sandy Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY
Red Hook (Brooklyn), New York
2
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
3
• Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ)
• Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation (SBIDC)
Project Sponsors
4
• 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
18
Know your Hazard Risks & Consequences
19
• 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