By Joe Anuta
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) unveiled a comprehensive report Thursday designed to act as a road map for making the city’s buildings more resilient to extreme weather.
The report was prepared by the Building Resiliency Task Force, a body convened by Bloomberg and Quinn in the wake of Hurricane Sandy to try and prevent future catastrophic property damage.
Some of the recommendations in the report include creating stronger buildings, ensuring more backup power is available in the event of a significant outage and making essentials like drinking water and heat available in the event the city shuts down. The administration hopes to enact many of these changes through the building code by either updating existing measures or writing new ones.
“Superstorm Sandy was a serious wake-up call that cost billion of dollars in damages and repairs, and another extreme event is inevitable,” said Russell Unger, executive director of Urban Green Council, which is heading up the task force.
The news conference was held in the City Lights building by Gantry State Park in Long Island City.
Reach reporter Joe Anuta by e-mail at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
