The area around Flushing Queens gets flooded a lot. So we were asked to come to Central Queens to do a Flood Solutions Fair…but this time with the lead language being Chinese. 我们做到了 (We did it)!

» Jasmine, Chinese speaker and small business in Queens, flooded 10 times (her story in English or Chinese)

» Have a story about flooding and housing security? Documentary wants to talk

» Flushing Queens Community Flooding from Guardians of Flushing Bay (slides)

That one room was the Queens Public Library in Flushing.

Flooding has many sub-topics: from plumbing to policy, from insurance to finance, from green to grey solutions, from the basement to the broader community. As in previous Flood Solutions Fairs, the goal was gather many experts in one room (this time Chinese speaking experts) so people can walk around and get answers to their specific questions and walk out educated and hopefully activated.

Helping people plan on the sunny days before more water arrives makes a big financial difference: lower $ in mitigation and higher $$$$$$$$$$$$ in recovery (a 1:13 ratio estimated by NIBS).

But there are lots of solutions and questions to wade through….

It’s always good to talk to people who have seen your issues before and can “fix it” using a variety of options. We were grateful to find Mike Li and MSK Construction who speak English and Chinese. They brought a team of trades that could discuss both inside solutions (valves, sewer connections, sealing) AND outside solutions (masonry, roofing, drainage). MSK Construction are in demand and were kind to spend a free saturday to help the community determine their options.

Ryan Chen from Guardians of Flushing Bay, a lead partner in the community event, walked people through the landscape and how water has historically moved in and out of the area. As more water comes, the natural truth of the underlying hydrology can re-assert itself, even if it has been paved over and “managed.”

See Guardians of Flushing Bay slides. Click button below.

The City Sponge was there as a co-producer and to help guide people, but also show FloodChat: an AI chatbot to help renters answer their unique flooding questions, built with a grant from Rebuild By Design.

FloodChat was designed to make finding high-quality flood related information easier for NYC renters in 35 languages. We did FloodChat demo in Chinese…it worked!

Are you a renter in NYC and want to try FoodChat? Click below.

Since water doesn’t care about property lines, flooding often veers into legal areas. Minkwon Center provided free legal help and resources in multiple languages:

NYC Health was there to answer questions that range from the physical to the psychological challenges with flooding. Hidden mold is a major issue that people may not realize hides behind walls and under floor boards. Or the risks of stepping into flood water which carry bad chemicals / bacteria in it (sewage). Or even the risk of electrocution: lots of people have EV scooters and bikes…if it was downstairs in a wet basement, the batteries can explode when turned on. Flooding is also health.

Small businesses - many of which are on street level and use their basement - are on the frontlines of urban flooding. We have heard from many small biz owners about their experience with repeated flooding, like Jasmine who came from China and owns Finest Sushi in Queens. They are literally, physically stuck between the city sewers and a building controlled by the landlord which makes implementing solutions which they can afford AND allowed to do very challenging. Recovery can cost $5K - $60K, which can put some OUT of business (FEMA estimates 40% of small biz do not recover from a disaster).

NYC Small Business Services was there to help and share their “Risk Assessment and Grant” program that provides 1) free technical assessments of a commercial property to get a flood mitigation plan, and 2) $5K in funding if located within a designated official flood zone. (Note: those official city flood zones maps are bit small at the moment and need to be expanded to reflect actual lived experiences and get that relief money out there).

Want to read about two small businesses going through flooding? Click here.

NYCEM does a lot to help us get ready for various things, including flooding. Yes they do Notify NYC (text alerts in many languages and good for flood warnings), but also help in preparing a family plan, go-bags, evacuation locations, as well as creating (and fund) hyper-local preparedness teams via their “Strengthening Communities” program. Read more about that here.

Stories of lived experiences makes the big picture of climate adaptation more accessible and tangible. Many flooding stories in Queens have been gathered by the Queens Memory Project, a collaboration between Queens Public Library and Queens College CUNY, curated by Jifei Yuan with production by Roxanne Scott and Rebecca Seidel. Sharing some of those stories in Chinese captured people’s attention.

The podcast is available on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube:

A key catalyst on the need for this event was Miao Wang, an independent documentary filmmaker whose work has appeared on PBS and MSNBC. Her current project is “Notes from the Underground” - a documentary about “flooding, housing insecurity, and life below NYC”.

She is looking for NYC residents who have experienced flash flooding firsthand and willing to be considered for on-camera interview. If interested, click here to contact her via email.

A WeChat group has been created by Miao Wang for Chinese-speakers in NYC people who want flooding help or can provide tips to others.

It is always energizing to see people from different parts of NYC come together to help others with flooding solutions. Water connects us!