Déjà Vu Parker: Just, you know, getting some information - I know you got some insight on what was going on with the big storm yesterday, hitting Queens and Brooklyn. Talk to us.
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Absolutely. Well, I was actually just meeting with a number of tenants and homeowners and seeing how they were impacted by the storm. We saw rain and winds across the city, but there were particular parts across the five boroughs that were disproportionately hit. And Hollis in Southeast Queens were one of those parts where we saw, you know, half an inch of rain in five minutes.
Déjà Vu: Right.
Mayor Mamdani: That comes out to like six inches an hour - the city's drainage system is built for two inches an hour. So, people were overwhelmed and we're thankful to all the city workers who've been out there through the night, and I just had the opportunity to meet a number of those families myself.
Déjà Vu: So, now, okay, what does the cleanup and the future look like for this? Because we've seen different weather patterns that are just not what we've had in the past. So, now as we're going towards the future, how do we prepare for sudden rains like that? What do we do?
Mayor Mamdani: I think you nailed it, which is that we need a short-, medium-, and long-term approach to all of this. In the short term, we're asking anyone who is affected by this outbreak of flooding to go to reportdamage.nyc.gov and report any of the damages that they've incurred in their own home. We're also asking anyone to call 311 if there's anything that requires a city response. If it's a basement flooding, if it's a sewer back up, a street flooding, a down tree, a power outage. We're seeing a lot, you know, a number of families who are facing some of these issues. We don't want them to be facing them alone. And you know, one of the families I just met with, we had the city show up over the course of the night and we pumped out the excess water from their basement so that they could actually be able to walk through it.
Then in the medium term, you know, we're making investments. So, [last] night was something that was seen as kind of a cloudburst, you know, it was a rapid rainfall in a very few minutes that was coming across this neighborhood. So, we've invested about, you know, $285 million in a 10-year plan for projects that are called cloudburst projects. These are, you know, one example is a basketball court that has a surface that is permeable so it can actually soak up the excess water, hold it for 24 to 48 hours, then release it once the sewage system is not overwhelmed. And in the long term, we're looking at how we can build out, you know, close to $3 billion to provide flooding relief, because if you're seeing, you know - if you're in a neighborhood like Hollis, I had a woman come up to me and say she's been looking at the same experience for 34 years.
Déjà Vu: Good - you know, the infrastructure just needs to be overhauled, because the city is old, of course, and a lot of these things are pre-dating you, and these people are still suffering with these same situations. So, yeah, I think this plan sounds like it's going to be a winner. So, in the interim, you talk to them, we have these things outlined, you say we should go to reportdamage.nyc.gov, if what now?
Mayor Mamdani: If you have faced any damages in your home from this rainfall, you should report it there. It helps the city make a case to FEMA for the kind of large-scale assistance we need. And then if you're facing anything like a flooded basement or a backed-up sewer or a down tree, go to - you know, call 311 and file that so the city has a sense of where we need to be responding to. Because, you know, what you and I are talking about, Déjà, these are the ways in which we understand the impact of these storms. But I'll be honest with you, when I was speaking with these families, they also shared with me that the impact isn't just financial, it's not just physical, it's also frankly an impact on an emotional impact-
Déjà Vu: Of course.
Mayor Mamdani: -for families who are now fearful of summer, because they're fearful of the storms that come with it. And we're looking to make this a city where nobody has to look to the weather in that way.
Déjà Vu: Let us hope so. Alright, Mayor Mamdani, thank you for calling and checking in and giving us this insight. What are your plans for tonight? Is it going to involve watching this game?
Mayor Mamdani: Yeah, I gotta be honest with you, my plans involve crossing my fingers as hard as I can and praying for that game to a victory.
Déjà Vu: Yes, yes, yes. We are going, "[go] Knicks, go Knicks, go Knicks." Okay, thank you though, for real, for calling and being on point with everything. We appreciate that.
Mayor Mamdani: Always. Thank you so much.
