2015 Theses Master's

Community Led Disaster Planning: Lessons Learned in Red Hook, Brooklyn Post Superstorm Sandy

Hewes, Daniel

New York City has long operated under the perceived low risk of severe hurricanes impacting the major city. In late October of 2012, Superstorm Sandy struck with ferocious intensity and exposed many weaknesses on multiple levels, from city to the federal government. As far back as 2007, New York City has been publishing groundbreaking and forward thinking long-term sustainability reports to deal with the threat of climate change on the city, and the impact it will have on various stakeholders. This thesis will examine the key points of three of the major reports, and identify to what extent areas in which vulnerable community stakeholders were involved. PlaNYC, A Stronger, More Resilient New York, and the Hazard Mitigation Plan all have attempted to plan for the long term across numerous hazards and risks that the city faces. The destruction that Sandy caused in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook epitomized the failures on multiple levels of city's response. At the same time, it became a case study for community led disaster response in the face of great neglect for some of New York's most geographically and socially vulnerable population.