A forum providing Western Queens residents with flooding solutions is set to take place in Sunnyside this Saturday, providing local residents with helpful information to secure their homes and businesses in the event of extreme weather events in the future.
The Flood Solutions Fair, organized by Brooklyn resident Nick Nyhan, will run from 1-4 p.m. at Sunnyside Community Services at 43-31 39th St. on Saturday, Sept. 13.
Nyhan, who founded flood resource site the City Sponge last year, has enlisted a number of elected officials and community organizations to take part in the event, including U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez, Council Member Julie Won and State Sen. Mike Gianaris. Nyhan credited Velázquez’s office for playing an instrumental role in organizing Saturday’s event.
Organizations such as the Newtown Creek Alliance, Hunters Point Parks Conservancy, Sunnyside Shines, Woodside on the Move and Long Island City Partnership will also be participating in the event as well as tradespeople such as plumbers and masons. Nyhan said tradespeople will be on hand to offer tips about how residents can secure their homes against flooding, while community organizations and elected officials will help outline what resources are available to victims of flooding.
Elected officials will also be taking part in panel discussions on the day, allowing them to receive feedback from members of the local community, Nyhan said.
“I don’t just want them to say what they’re doing, but I want them to hear what the residents need, what the small businesses need,” Nyhan said.
Nyhan said he hosted an inaugural Flood Solutions Fair in Gowanus in January and added that he is hosting the Sunnyside event ahead of the rainiest period of the year in September and October.
“Ida, Ophelia, Sandy – those are all September/October storms,” Nyhan said. “So, this is the season when big floods happen, but they happen more often now and there’s pockets of Queens where it’s really severe, especially down in the Blissville area.”
Nyhan has also analyzed data on real estate site Zillow, which states that there are currently 792 buildings at risk of flooding in Sunnyside.
Nyhan said it can be “overwhelming” for homeowners, tenants and businessowners to find helpful flooding information, particularly after their home or place of business has been flooded. He added that it is critically important for local residents to be prepared for extreme weather events as they become more commonplace in New York City.
He referenced recent flooding that occurred following a cloudburst at the end of July, stating that it “only takes two inches of water” to cause devastating impacts.
“You have to assume that you flood conditions are going to happen more often,” Nyhan said. “You have to assume it, because it is happening more often… But as you saw just a month ago, it doesn’t take a tropical storm to create flooding.”
Nyhan believes that it is crucial that city and state agencies install more infrastructure that helps mitigate the impacts of flooding but warned residents that any such infrastructure will take years to install.
Therefore, he is encouraging local residents to take steps to ensure that they are prepared for extreme weather events in the interim.
“People have to do things on their own while we work on these bigger projects. And the bigger projects take years,” he said. “So if you’re waiting for the city to save you, you’re going to be experiencing a lot of flooding, and a bucket is not a strategy.”
Nyhan said he started the City Sponge last year after posing a question to himself about what he could do to mitigate the impacts of flooding.
“I had to write down so much. I ended up writing it up in different topics. And then I said, ‘my neighbors need this.’ So I shared it… And that’s how the City Sponge was born.”
Saturday’s event is free and open to the public, but Nyhan has encouraged anyone interested in attending to register here.
