Int. No. 807
By Council Members Brooks-Powers, Gennaro, Brannan, Louis, Riley and Hanif
A Local Law in relation to creating a pilot program to provide shelter locations during flash flooding events
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. a. Definitions. For the purposes of this local law, the following terms have the following meanings:
Emergency shelter location. The term “emergency shelter location” means a public facility that may be utilized for the purpose of providing protection or refuge for the public during extreme weather events.
Flash flood. The term “flash flood” means inland flooding caused by an extreme rain event with three inches or greater of total rainfall.
Subgrade dwelling. The term “subgrade dwelling” means a room or space used for sleeping that is located at basement or cellar level of a residential building.
b. The office shall establish a pilot program for utilizing emergency shelter locations for the purpose of providing refuge prior to, and during, flash flood events. Such locations shall be open to members of the public upon the issuance of a flash flood warning and shall offer the same services, supplies, and staffing as is provided for cooling centers.
c. The pilot program established by subdivision b of this local law shall operate shelter locations in no less than 10 neighborhoods. The selection of such locations shall take into consideration the following factors: 1. a history of flash flood events in a given area; 2. the presence of vulnerable populations residing in a given area; and 3. the prevalence of subgrade dwellings in a given area.
d. Reporting. Within 1 year of the enactment of this local law, and annually on such date in subsequent years, the office shall report on the locations selected for the pilot, the number of activations occurring during the prior 12-months, and the number of people who utilized such location during each such activation.
§ 2. This local law takes effect 120 days after it becomes law and is deemed repealed 3 years after it becomes law.
JDKLS
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4/8/24