Quick Link Sections

• What happened?

  • 1 in 100 Year Storm?

• Small Business?

• Renter?

• What do we learn from this?

  • Sewers have a tough job, especially in the fall

  • Good job on warning and emergency preparedness

  • Where to report damage: gov’t portal for NYC

• Basement Apartments

• Need More Help?

What happened?

A cloudburst storm hit NYC on Oct 30, 2025 with approx. 2-3 inches of rain in different areas:

• Central Park: 1.8 to 1.85 inches of rain, breaking the previous record of 1.64 inches set in 1917.

• LaGuardia Airport: ~2 inches, surpassing its 1955 record of 1.18 inches.

• Sheepshead Bay (Brooklyn): Reported a higher total of 2.79 inches.

That’s rain collection.

But it FELT like much more - depending on where you were - because we have a heavily cemented city and a sewer-system that was built for a different time. Water moves across NYC streets and gathers in lower places, where it may not be absorbed because there is nowhere for it to go, or coastal or groundwater nearby. From the Flood Net sensors (which measure compound flooding) during the storm showed it these hotspots (…311 data may show later):

With a few inches, NYC got swamped. It serves as a reminder of the new reality that we now live in a “sub-tropical climate” in NYC. It is more than inconvenient…it is damaging and as we saw again, deadly.

Bottom line: That’s why we need to get “spongier.” And we need to get “safer.”

Some gathered photos and videos here:

Rate of Rainfall

The RATE of rainfall (speed) really added up fast in this storm. The rate of the rain was so strong at times that it was on pace to be more like 6 inches per hour (even though we only got 2-3 inches). See NYC DEP IG post below:

nycwater

18K followers

View more on Instagram

Note: See more on “sewers” below.

1 in 100 Year Storm?

No, it was NOT technically a "1 in 100 year" storm event for New York City but more like “5 year storm.”

According to NOAA Atlas 14 data, “1 in 100 year” storm would typically involve:

• 1-hour rainfall: Approximately 3 inches or more in one hour

• 24-hour rainfall: Approximately 8 inches or more in a 24-hour period 

We didn’t get that on October 30, 2025 cloudburst.

But does that type of phrase work anymore? They maybe technically accurate but don’t help motivate people to be ready. Many people think these terms are lulling people into complacency.

News summary from Oct 30 storm day

Flooding news summary from The City, reporting by Samantha Maldonado and Rachel Holliday Smith

Re-entering flooded space

• Getting In there: We know you want to go in and clean up and see damage. But watch for signs of structural damage, gas leaks, and live wires.

• Power down: If water got near outlets or wires, don’t step in or touch anything until power is off. If you can’t safely reach the breaker, call Con Edison or 911.

• Ideally shut off external gas lines and ventilate flooded areas. If power affected or circuits flipped, do not turn the power back on until a licensed electrician confirms it is safe.

• Fans and Dehumidifiers? Keep the cords out of water.

• Prioritize your safety as health issues will only make things worse.

Clean up

• Watch your back! Wet stuff is super heavy. Don’t make things worse by throwing your back out. Use your knees or get help.

• Protect yourself first

  • Wear rubber boots, gloves…might have sewage or chemicals.

• Disinfect everything and fight the mold potential

  • Wash hard surfaces with soap and water first, then disinfect with 1 cup of bleach per gallon of clean water. DO NOT mix Bleach + Ammonia or Bleach + Vinegar (can be poisonous vapor).

• What throw out? Toss anything porous that got soaked (rugs, cardboard, mattresses).

• You can find official cleanup guidance here:
  ➡️ NYC Emergency Management – Flood Cleanup
  ➡️ NYC Department of Health – Mold Cleanup

Documenting damage and recovery costs

• Take pictures of wall, door…anything that shows water height, useful in future and also to know where potential mold can go up to.

• Estimate physical damage but also lost business as a result of flooding.

• Keep receipts for repairs. Whatever you are spending on recovery needs to be organized so you can apply for reimbursements where possible. There are simple apps for this (simple example Wave) but you can also just…

More on Flood Insurance tips and details here

Small Business?

Small business get hit hard, often because they are street level and use the basement for storage. It’s trickier given they are renters, don’t own the building or the physical space and how it is set up. On top of that, there is the worry that IF they complain about flooding (to the landlord or the city), their rent may go up or be kicked out.

• NYC Small Business Services can be helpful in flooding, and can even give funding grants to tenants (not the landlords) if you live in designated risk zones. They also offer legal help and free assessments of the property to determine what you need done and legal help. Quick help? Call the SBS hotline at 888-SBS-4NYC (888-727-4692).

Renter?

More detail for renters and small businesses below…

But also, we have been working on something called “FloodChat” which is a unique chatbot built with curated information helpful to NYC renters for flooding. It is in BETA phase but you can use it and test it out now. Could be helpful in times like this. Try it and tell us what you think of it using the included form.

Renters Have “Right to Habitability”

• Your landlord has to keep the apartment safe and livable — that means fixing water damage, leaks, mold, and electrical hazards from flooding.

• You can demand emergency repairs through 311.

• How it works:

  • You call 311 or file online.

  • HPD will inspect your apartment for emergency hazards — flooding, mold, leaks, electrical issues, etc.

  • If your landlord won’t fix it, the city can make the repair and then bill the landlord directly.

Rent Relief

• If the apartment becomes uninhabitable (unsafe or getting mold), you can request rent abatement (temporary reduction) or file in Housing Court.

• Withholding rent is risky, only do with help from a tenant lawyer.

Landlord’s Repair Responsibility

• Landlords are responsible for structure, plumbing, electrical systems, and mold remediation after flooding.

• You’re only responsible for your personal belongings, unless your actions caused the flooding.

Right to Organize

• You have the legal right to organize with other tenants to demand flood repairs or mitigation (like barriers or drainage fixes). Example: Fifth Avenue Committee helps renters with this: fifthave.org

What do we learn from this?

The city has been trying to prepare for flooding events through both major infrastructure upgrades, CSO facilities, green infrastructure, and even new building codes. A we have written about and posted on, many things have been going on in different neighborhoods and prioritized areas.

Understandably, people want to see progress faster. But as we have noted before, the NYC DEP cannot retrofit NYC infrastructure as fast as the water projections. Even they admit that. While they do their part, we still need to do things in our places and blocks.

City Response

Sewers have a tough job, especially in the fall

It was two fold:

1) the many fall leaves (and trash) which can block sewer catch-basins (related story)

2) sewer capacity and water volumes:

• NYC sewers cannot handle more than 1.75 inches an hour which is considered a “5 year storm” (which we exceeded Oct 30).

• Future goal: handle 2.1 inches/hour, but full coverage is unaffordable—over $250 billion would be required and space constraints limit engineering options.

• Instead, DEP is targeting priority zones and safe surface flooding in some locations to balance cost and risk. At current funding (~$1 billion/year), major flood-relief projects in 80+ priority areas will take about 30 years to complete. 😯

• This from NYC DEP 2024 Stormwater Analysis Report.

Long-term: NYC has a plan for managing stormwater that includes sewer upgrades but also special tanks and CSO (combined sewer overflow) treatment plans to add capacity in high risk areas. They are in the middle of implementing. But some projects will take MANY years and gov’t funding may get cut (as we see happening in areas like FEMA and other federally funded programs).

Short-term: So…. we need to do things in the meantime. People need to find ways to re-direct and retain water during storms like this to help prevent flooding (…and this is one of the reasons we created The City Sponge). This should be something NYC can do to help people find their mitigation strategy and resources. It’s a need, a challenge, and an opportunity.

Good job on warning and emergency preparedness

NYC EM team was early and on it with warnings and they were right. Notify NYC sent out alerts to over 1.3M people in multiple languages. Sometimes it is no big deal, but this time it was. As storms increase and alerts increase, hopefully we don’t get into a “cries wolf” situation and people don’t tune these out.

Where to report damage: gov’t portal for NYC

• NYC has a damage portal to report things, for small biz, homeowners, and renters/tenants. Use it so we can see what needed and also qualify for potential state and federal recovery funds https://reportdamage.nyc.gov/

  

Basement Apartments

We again saw people die in basement flooding in yesterday’s Oct 30 storm. This has happened in 2023 two people died (NY Times) and in 2021 when 13 died (The Guardian).

(Note: Want to know what it’s like to get out of a flooding apartment? Here is a story of a woman who escaped by swimming out her her apartment, courtesy of Feet In 2 Worlds which brings out the voices (listen to the podcast) of people living in NYC basement apartments)

Again we see the risk is real… AND not isolated to a few apartments. A Pratt Study estimated “hundreds of thousands” of people in NYC live in basement apartments.

What is being done to help basement apartments

• The city is testing legal basement conversions with flood-resilient upgrades like raised electrical systems, sump pumps, and backflow preventers.

• Also there is state legislation and city funding to help homeowners make basement units safe and legal.

• Basement housing is banned in high-risk flood zones, and in some places the city plans to buy out or repurpose flood-prone properties for open space or drainage.

• Tools and networks are building outreach and alert systems for basement residents, like Notify NYC and NYC EM Strengthening Community (which has open applications now).

• The DOB program launched an online application for homeowners who want to modify their basements. A new law in July included a requirement of at least two exits and a sprinkler system. More on this from The Gothamist.

What slows down basement apartment safety?

Basement apartments should be made safer. But the work is tricky because it sits at the intersection of housing affordability, safety, and flood risk. Renters rely on basement units they can afford, and many are in flood-prone areas where full upgrades are costly. Officials and community groups are trying to balance the need for affordable housing with the need to protect people from flooding. Also, the fear of landlords or losing your place also makes many renters hesitant to report it.

Need More Help?

If you have flooding questions or needs, reach out and we will see if we can help you. Email us.