Up to $250 million from the state’s Environmental Bond fund will be used to buy out homeowners whose property gets flooded during storms under a plan announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Other initiatives laid out in her annual State of the State Address include a “Resilient & Ready” program to fund flood damage repairs and mitigation efforts, as well as investments in statewide emergency services.
“Following an onslaught of drenching rain, furious storms, sweltering heat, and bitter cold, the plan outlines multiple actions for New York to continue building more resilient communities and adapt to the impacts of climate change,” Hochul said, tying the severe weather to the need to reduce climate-changing emissions. “As we continue to aggressively reduce greenhouse gas emissions across New York, we simultaneously need to make sure our communities, homes, and infrastructure are resilient and can withstand these coming storms.”
Included in her strategy is a “Blue Buffers Voluntary Buyout Program” to encourage buyouts in communities most vulnerable to flooding. “The program will prioritize outreach and education first and then begin identifying voluntary projects based on the level of flood risk, ensuring we protect our communities that are most vulnerable to high water and storm surges,” the governor explained. Buyout funds would be available from the $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act approved by voters in 2022.
Other actions announced by the governor include:
A “Resilient & Ready Program” to provide monies to low-and-moderate income homeowners to repair flood damage and pay for flood mitigation improvements.
Directing the Codes Counsel to overhaul the building codes with higher standards for resistance to floods, wind, snow, and temperature extremes.
Increasing statewide disaster response capabilities through training and preparedness, as well as equipping localities with generators, high-flow pumps, and flood barrier technology.
Update Coastal Erosion Hazard Area maps to enable people to quickly determine if a property is within a hazard area, as well as provide web-based drought prediction and urban heat island mapping tools and an updated stormwater design manual.
The governor is also looking to expand funding for cooling capacity at schools through the Clean Green Schools program and encourage communities to open schools to the public during extreme heat events. She also wants to allocate money for air conditioners for the medically vulnerable and have the Department of Health work within the Essential Health Plan to supply air conditioners to protect participants.
Hochul also proposes the repair of aging flood control projects and the removal of dams to keep water out of communities. The infrastructure, including 95 miles of walls and levees, will undergo rehabilitation, removal, or repairs. A “Resilient Watersheds Implementation Grant Program” will fund flood mitigation projects in Westchester County and advance resilience studies in 40 other flood-prone watersheds. The governor also wants to launch a “supercharged” Green Resiliency Grant Program to build green infrastructure, including green roofs and permeable pavement. State agencies will be directed to invest funds to prioritize sustainable and climate-resilient design practices.
Hochul also wants to target struggling areas for Climate Smart Communities Program monies and update the regulatory scoring method to prioritize asset management and resilience to climate change. Her comprehensive Adaptation and Resiliency strategy is designed to ensure that localities can equitably adapt to climate change by assessing impacts on disadvantaged communities, ecosystems, infrastructure, and vulnerable economic sectors.
The Nature Conservancy applauded Hochul’s proposals, saying in a statement: “Voluntary buyouts are essential for the health, safety and well-being of people who live in areas that flood. Across New York, people are living in homes that flood again and again; many need and want help to move to safe, dry ground. Buyout programs are critically important, not just to the families they help, but to entire communities when we can return flood-damaged properties back into native wildlife habitats that reduce the impacts of flooding.”
On the Mastic Peninsula, recently inundated with flood water from back-to-back coastal storms, the Town of Brookhaven, along with Suffolk County, New York State, and the federal government, is piecing together hundreds of acres of vulnerable properties to create a natural buffer zone free from residential construction.