Julio and Belinda Ramos, who were hit with a power outage, hold their eight-year-old son Charles as they stand in line to pick up food supplies at a grocery store after Hurricane Sandy in 2012. (Adrees Latif/Reuters)

theatlanticcities.com - by Siddhartha Mahanta - October 21, 2013

In New York City, locating a bite to eat is rarely a difficult task. The city is a food paradise or, depending on your mood, a place of overwhelming glut.

But when Superstorm Sandy pummeled New York last fall, it revealed the terrifying potential for sudden food shortages.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Photo: Cameron Blaylock

rebuildbydesign.org

Rebuild by Design is hosting two public receptions in New York and New Jersey to hear Rebuild by Design's ten Design Teams discuss their research and the ideas born out of their work.

This is a critical moment for the Rebuild by Design project and a perfect occasion to learn more about the teams' thoughtful and unique visions to make our region more resilient.

The proposals follow three months of in-depth analysis and public outreach, including both one-on-one conversations with people living in affected areas and robust guided conversations with Design Teams and citizens. This will lead up to a selection of projects each team will pursue in the design phase—the next and final portion of the competition.

Breakfast Reception at NYU - RSVP
8:30 to 11:00 a.m.
60 Washington Square South,New York, NY
Kimmel Center, 4th Floor

As Superstorm Sandy approached, and residents in coastal areas from Maryland to Connecticut were ordered to evacuate, many residents chose to stay put.  There are various reasons for this and analysis of these reasons has led to changes in the way storm warnings are now issued and will be issued in the future.

[Read entire article]

A home destroyed during the landfall of Superstorm Sandy is pictured in Mantoloking, New Jersey March 22, 2013.  Credit: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

reuters.com - by Barbara Liston - September 24, 2013

(Reuters) - More than a million homeowners living in older houses along the coastlines and riverbanks of the United States are being jolted by federal flood insurance rate hikes under a law passed in the wake of devastating storms.

Carol Giovannoni, 51, of St. Pete Beach, a barrier island community off Florida's west coast, is one of the people dreading October 1, when the law takes effect. Giovannoni said the annual flood insurance premium on her standard 1950s concrete-block, ranch-style home on the waterfront will jump from $1,700 to $15,000 over the next few years.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

CLICK HERE - Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012

nysandyhelp.ny.gov

Through the Community Reconstruction Zone
(CRZ) Program, New York State is assisting communities
to rebuild better and safer based on community-
driven plans that consider current damage,
future threats to community assets, and the community’s
economic future. In keeping with the National
Disaster Recovery Framework, CRZ Plans will consider
the needs, risks, and opportunities related to
assets in the following categories of recovery support
functions: Community Planning and Capacity
Building, Economic Development, Health and Social
Services, Housing, Infrastructure, and Natural and
Cultural Resources.

By completing a successful Plan, each participating
community will position itself to obtain funding to
implement that Plan to improve the community’s
future.

NY - Recovery Resources Center

Guidance for Community Reconstruction Zone Plans -
A Planning Toolkit for CRZ Planning Committees
(81 page .PDF report)

homelandsecuritynewswire.com - July 19, 2013

A Sandia National Laboratories team is gearing up for hurricane season, readying analyses to help people in the eye of a storm. The team has two jobs: conducting annual “hurricane swath” analyses of probable impacts on the Gulf Coast and East Coast, and providing quick analyses of crisis response in the face of an imminent hurricane threat to the United States. A swath analysis looks at how a hurricane might interrupt critical services and at impacts to infrastructure specific to an area, such as petroleum and petrochemical industries in Houston or financial services in New York City. It also looks at such things as the economic impact of the storm or how it could upset food deliveries.

inhabitat.com - by Yuka Yoneda - July 12, 2013

It's already hurricane season - would you be ready if another Superstorm Sandy hit today? If you hesitated for a moment, you might be one of the many who meant to prepare for the next big storm but then just got sucked into the daily grind and forgot. The good news is that there's still time to gather up the essentials so that you'll be ahead of the game for the next hurricane instead of having to fight some lady for the last pack of batteries at Duane Reade. Read on for the 12 important items you should have at home in case of an emergency situation like a serious storm or other natural disaster. . .

submitted by Michael Kraft

communities.firstresponder.gov

Lessons Learned: Social Media and Hurricane Sandy
(39 PAGE .pdf FILE)

(FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS - CLICK ON THE HEADLINE, OR "READ MORE")

njspotlight.com - by Colleen O'Dea - March 15, 2013

What is My Base Flood Elevation (BFE)? Address Lookup Tool

(Formerly What is My ABFE?)

The interactive 'What is My BFE?' tool below can help you compare the current effective and the best available flood hazard data for your property (See disclaimer below).  Get information for your property in three easy steps:

1.    Enter your address into the field below and click the “Get Details” button.
***Internet Explorer users: You must click 'No' if a security warning pop up window appears on your screen in order for the report to display correctly after clicking the "Get Details" button.*** 

huffingtonpost.com - June 9, 2013 - Katie Zezima and Meghan Barr

MANTOLOKING, NJ - MAY 15: A beach front home damaged by Superstorm Sandy is tagged to be torn down and hauled off, May 15, 2013 in Manotoloking, New Jersey. Mantoloking officials say that at least 50 homes are scheduled to be demolished in the up coming weeks. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

George Kasimos has almost finished repairing flood damage to his waterfront home, but his Superstorm Sandy nightmare is far from over. ...

That's because the federal government's newly released advisory flood maps have put his Toms River home in the most vulnerable area – the "velocity zone." If that sticks, he'd have to jack his house up 14 feet on stilts at a cost of $150,000 or face up to $30,000 a year in flood insurance premiums....

For many, it's an impossible choice. They can't afford to do either. And many unanswered questions have left residents paralyzed with indecision....