Deaths from flooding in New York City during Hurricane Ida illustrate flaws in FEMA’s flood maps, according to critics.
Eleven people that drowned in their basement apartments lived in areas marked as low risk for severe flooding. The storm produced record rainfall that inundated the city’s sewer system and caused widespread flooding.
House Oversight and Reform Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) said she checked the addresses of all the homes where the drownings occurred and found that they were all in areas marked as having a minimal flood hazard. A FEMA official responded, saying the agency’s flood maps show areas that are high risk of coastal inundation or river overflow, but do not address areas facing the type of flooding that Hurricane Ida caused in New York City.
FEMA’s special flood hazard areas are only located in city neighborhoods adjacent to water. FEMA maps determine which property owners are subject to a federal requirement to have flood insurance.
Related Stories
| Apr 19, 2012
Washington city may base building code on rising sea level due to global warming
Aberdeen may become the first city in Washington to base a building code on rising oceans and global warming.
| Apr 19, 2012
CSI webinar on energy codes and building envelopes
This seminar will review recent changes in energy codes, examples of building enclosure wall assemblies for code compliance, potential moisture management and durability challenges, and design tools to assess and minimize potential problems.
| Apr 19, 2012
Innovative plan for storm water in Philadelphia gets EPA’s OK
Philadelphia's $2 billion plan to manage its storm water with green methods including porous pavement, green roofs, and more trees, was officially approved last week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
| Apr 19, 2012
LEED 2012 to include new credit category for transit-oriented development
The updated LEED 2012 system will introduce a new credit category, “Location and Transportation,” to encourage development oriented around public transit and more walkable communities.
| Apr 17, 2012
FMI report examines federal construction trends
Given the rapid transformations occurring in the federal construction sector, FMI examines the key forces accelerating these changes, as well as their effect on the industry.
| Apr 16, 2012
University of Michigan study seeks to create efficient building design
The result, the researchers say, could be technologies capable of cutting the carbon footprint created by the huge power demands buildings place on the nation’s electrical grid.
| Apr 13, 2012
Congress’s action doesn’t mean Pentagon can’t build LEED gold structures
Though Congress passed a defense budget preventing the Department of Defense from spending money to achieve LEED gold or platinum certification, the Pentagon may still end up constructing buildings to those standards.
| Apr 13, 2012
International Living Building Institute certifies first two Net Zero Energy buildings
A community building in Oregon and an office building in California are the first two projects to earn net-zero status under the International Living Building Institute’s Net Zero Energy Certification program.
| Apr 13, 2012
New York City’s building department investigating structural collapse that killed worker
Following a worker’s death, the collapse of a century-old, two-story warehouse under demolition as part of Columbia University’s expansion is under investigation by the city’s Building Department.
