In Aftermath of Hurricane Ida and City’s First-Ever ‘Flash Flood Emergency,’ Water Leak Complaints to 311 Increased Significantly in Bushwick

Nearly 700 calls reported water leaks through 311 on September 1, as Hurricane Ida’s remnants hit New York City, with 50 of those calls coming from Bushwick, according to data released through NYC Open Data.

In response to the storm, the National Weather Service issued New York City’s first Flash Flood Emergency at 9:28 p.m. Whereas a Warning is issued when a flash flood is happening or imminent, the National Weather Service says an Emergency is “issued for the EXCEEDINGLY RARE situations when extremely heavy rain is leading to a severe threat to human life and CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE from a flash flood is happening or will happen soon.”

By then, rainfall from what remained of Hurricane Ida had also broken the record for the wettest hour ever (or at least since record keeping began) in Central Park with 3.15 inches of rainfall.

Tropical Storm Henri had broken that same record a little over a week earlier with 1.94 inches of rainfall between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Saturday, August 21.  

As the rain continued into the following day, 299 water leak complaints were recorded by 311. That’s over twice the 115 calls received on August 21, but still less than half those received on September 1.

For every call, the location type of the address given was for a residential building, and the majority (80 percent citywide and 78 percent in Bushwick) were described as being for a heavy flow, as opposed to a light leak or a damp spot.

Those affected by the storm can apply for assistance through FEMA for up to $36,000 to help pay for damages. You can also apply through The Red Cross for temporary housing in a hotel and a debit card with up to $515 for basic needs.

New Yorkers are encouraged to call 311 to learn more.

Top photo by Tyler Foltz.

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