Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Lisa F. Garcia today announced a dramatic expansion of the Bureau of Coastal Resilience to better protect communities against rising sea levels and the growing threat of stronger, more severe coastal storms worsened by climate change.
The Bureau centralizes the planning, operation and maintenance of the City's growing network of coastal flood-protection infrastructure, and for years, has relied on a team of six staff and the support of borrowed crew members from across DEP. Mayor Mamdani is investing in a Bureau of Coastal Resilience that has the expertise and manpower necessary to meet the moment and protect our coastal communities for generations to come.
The Mayor has invested $43.2 million across the City's financial plan, including $10.6 million in the current fiscal year, to hire 69 additional staff members to the Bureau, including engineers, field crews, city planners and other flood experts. The funding also supports several major studies that will strengthen the City's long-term coastal resilience strategy, including a roadmap for protecting all 520 miles of New York City's coastline.
"As climate change accelerates, so too must our efforts to protect our communities from flooding and extreme weather," said Mayor Mamdani. "This investment ensures the Bureau can keep pace with the billions of dollars in flood prevention and mitigation infrastructure being built and mobilized in the next few years. Staffed with engineers, flood-risk management experts and maintenance crews, the Bureau of Coastal Resilience will drive resiliency job opportunities while making sure our city is prepared for whatever comes our way."
"Mayor Mamdani and this administration are committed to protecting New Yorkers from hurricanes, intense rainfall and other climate change risks and recognize that this requires sustained investment in infrastructure and the people who keep it running," said DEP Commissioner Lisa F. Garcia. "Expanding the Bureau of Coastal Resilience strengthens our ability to safeguard our shoreline, prepare for climate impacts and protect the communities, businesses and critical facilities that power our city."
There are currently 15 active infrastructure projects in the Bureau's portfolio, including the City's first major coastal flood protection system: the $1.45 billion East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project, which features raised parkland, floodwalls and 18 swinging or sliding flood gates to create a continuous line of protection. ESCR will come online next year and protect more than 110,000 New Yorkers, including approximately 28,000 public residents, on the Lower East Side from storms like Hurricane Sandy.
Hurricane Sandy killed 44 New Yorkers and caused nearly $19 billion in damage in 2012, catalyzing an ambitious portfolio of long-term coastal protection projects that will prevent flooding while improving public waterfront spaces. Today, nearly 440,000 New Yorkers, 14,500 businesses and roughly $250 billion in property value reside within the city's 100-year floodplain.
As extreme weather events become more frequent, the Mamdani administration is building climate preparedness into the features of the city. The administration has invested $108 million to upgrade and replace thousands of catch basins to improve the city's street drainage network, $95 million to protect the flood-prone neighborhood of Homecrest in Brooklyn from cloudbursts and completed phase one of Battery Coastal Resilience, a landmark $200 million investment in the long-term safety and resilience of Lower Manhattan.
In addition to ESCR, several other major coastal flooding protection systems will come online in the next four years, including Brooklyn Bridge-Montgomery Coastal Resilience, Seaport Coastal Resilience, and Red Hook Coastal Resiliency. The Bureau works closely with City agencies - including NYC Parks, Economic Development Corporation (EDC), Small Business Services (SBS), Department of Buildings (DOB), Department of Design and Construction (DDC), Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of City Planning (DCP) and the Mayor's Office of Climate and Environmental Justice (MOCEJ) - to advance these critical coastal resilience projects across the five boroughs.
"These past couple of weeks, we have seen how strong rainstorms have wreaked havoc on our communities. As the effects of climate change heighten, we are further motivated to protect New Yorkers from flooding and rising sea levels," said DDC Commissioner Paul A. Ochoa. "DDC is currently building innovative coastal resiliency infrastructure and flooding mitigation across the City, like flood walls, flood gates and street raisings, while also maintaining access to the waterfront and providing New Yorkers with upgraded recreational areas. DDC is proud to collaborate with DEP on these projects, and we are glad that the infrastructure we are working on will be better-supported thanks to Mayor Mamdani's expansion of DEP's Bureau of Coastal Resilience."
"For a family, a flooded home means a repair bill they can't afford and an insurance premium that spikes," said Chief Climate Officer Louise Yeung. "By funding the Bureau of Coastal Resilience, the City will have the in-house engineering, planning and capacity to build, operate and maintain our flood protection systems now and into the future."
"As we face the effects of climate change and encounter severe storms with greater frequency, it's more vital than ever that we bolster our coastlines to protect our most flood-prone areas. By expanding the Bureau of Coastal Resilience, the City will be better equipped to deal with future impacts and keep our communities safe," said NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura. "Through transformative projects like East Side Coastal Resiliency and our continued partnership with DEP and sister agencies, we are protecting New Yorkers from future coastal flooding while creating stronger, greener and more accessible public spaces."
"As New Yorkers grapple with more frequent and intense coastal storms and flooding, the City must continue investing in the infrastructure needed to keep people safe," said NYCEM Commissioner Christina Farrell. "Expanding the Bureau of Coastal Resilience is a necessary investment that strengthens New York City's ability to prepare for severe weather, protect vulnerable communities and build the long-term resilience needed to confront the growing challenges of climate change."
"The expansion of the Bureau of Coastal Resilience is a critical investment in the safety of all New Yorkers and the future of our city when, if we didn't take action, even minor coastal storms could become damaging as sea levels continue to rise," said NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn. "The Bureau has been critical in advancing major resiliency projects to protect New Yorkers and, with additional resources, can more urgently address our climate crisis. We are proud to work with the Bureau to help move forward resiliency projects involving street infrastructure and are working every day to build a more sustainable city."
"Severe weather is no longer a distant threat, but is a reality New Yorkers are experiencing with increasing frequency," said DOB Commissioner Ahmed Tigani. "Investing in resilient coastal infrastructure will go a long way toward protecting our buildings, neighborhoods and the people who call them home. Through DOB's enforcement of the city's strong flood protection requirements for new construction projects, each new development we approve is helping to improve the resiliency of the city's built environment. This expansion announced today reflects the City's commitment to preparing for the challenges ahead while preserving the safety and strength of our built environment. Congratulations to DEP on this significant investment, we look forward to continuing to partner with you on this important work."
"Climate resilience must be built into how New York City plans for its future," said DCP Director Sideya Sherman. "Expanding the Bureau of Coastal Resilience will strengthen the City's ability to protect vulnerable communities, coordinate major investments and prepare waterfront neighborhoods for growing climate change risks. City Planning is proud to support this important work as we advance a safer, more resilient city for generations to come."
"Preparing for the impacts of climate change is one of the City's most important responsibilities. And strengthening the Bureau of Coastal Resilience is a smart investment that will help ensure these critical flood protection systems are properly planned, maintained, and ready when New Yorkers need them most," said Council Member James F. Gennaro. "From Superstorm Sandy to the increasingly frequent severe storms we experience today - including as recently as last week - we know the cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of preparedness. I look forward to working with DEP and this administration to advance resilient infrastructure that will help to protect New York City."
"We're thrilled to see Mayor Mamdani invest $10.6 million in the Bureau of Coastal Resilience through the FY27 budget," said Julie Raskin, President and CEO at Waterfront Alliance. "Since its creation in 2023, the Bureau has been tasked with an enormous responsibility: helping protect New York City's 520 miles of coastline from increasing flood risks. This funding is an important step toward ensuring the Bureau has the resources it needs to meet that challenge, and we look forward to continuing to work with the City to build a more resilient waterfront for all New Yorkers."
"New York City's waterfront communities are on the front lines of the climate crisis, and today's investment recognizes that protecting New Yorkers means preparing for the storms and rising seas of tomorrow," said Tracy Brown, President of Riverkeeper. "Riverkeeper supports the expansion of the Bureau of Coastal Resilience as an important step toward building the expertise and capacity needed to deliver the large-scale protections our city requires. At Riverkeeper, we know that resilient coastlines and healthy waterways go hand in hand. We're encouraged to see the City making long-term investments that strengthen both public safety and the health of our shared waters. We look forward to partnering with the BCR as they design and deliver on strategies to protect our communities while advancing a more resilient and sustainable future for all New Yorkers."
"We are thrilled that Mayor Mamdani is expanding the Bureau of Coastal Resilience," said Amy Chester, Director of Rebuild by Design. "As we have seen firsthand this summer, flooding is a high priority for New Yorkers. If we invest smartly and design with communities, our flood infrastructure can benefit neighborhoods every day, from improved health outcomes to local jobs, to new local parks where you can know your neighbors."
"NYLCV commends Mayor Mamdani and Commissioner Garcia for not only recognizing the serious and growing threat that climate change poses to our communities, but for taking action to prepare for its impacts," said Alia Soomro, Deputy Director for New York City Policy, New York League of Conservation Voters. "Expanding the Bureau of Coastal Resilience is a smart investment that will help protect New Yorkers from powerful storms and coastal flooding, and we look forward to working with the Administration and DEP to create a more resilient waterfront for generations to come."
"For the first time, New York City's coastal flood manager will have a robustly staffed team dedicated to protecting New Yorkers from growing flood risks," said Kate Boicourt, New York State Director for Environmental Defense Fund. "I commend Mayor Mamdani and Commissioner Garcia for recognizing that building a resilience workforce is essential to keeping New York safe, livable and economically vibrant for generations to come."
"The Coney Island Beautification Project applauds Mayor Mamdani's expansion of the Bureau of Coastal Resiliency," said Pamela Pettyjohn, President of the Coney Island Beautification Project. "Climate threats continue to loom large and for coastal communities like ours. Strong leadership and smart investments are essential for a safe and secure future for everyone who lives in or loves Coney Island."
"New Yorkers have seen firsthand this summer how devastating flooding can be," said Esther Rosario, Executive Director of Climate Jobs New York. "Meeting this moment requires bold public investment in the infrastructure that keeps our communities safe. We applaud Mayor Mamdani and Commissioner Garcia for expanding the Bureau of Coastal Resilience and taking meaningful action to prepare New York City for a changing climate. These investments will help protect New Yorkers from future storms while putting people to work building a more resilient city."
