Mayor Mamdani and NYCHA Implement Aggressive Lead Abatement Strategy in NYCHA Child Care Centers, Investing Over $10 Million for Complete and Permanent Lead Removal This Fall

 

Lead abatement will proactively and permanently clear lead-based paint from 63 additional centers in NYCHA properties, building on the success of NYCHA’s Lead-Based Paint Abatement program 

 

New York City public housing lead inspection, remediation, and abatement policies are among most aggressive in the nation  

Today, New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) CEO Lisa Bova-Hiatt announced a $10.2 million investment in complete and permanent abatement this fall of lead-based paint at 63 additional child care centers on NYCHA campuses across the city. 

 

This abatement builds on previous testing through NYCHA’s Lead-Based Paint Abatement Program of all 75 child care centers that are on NYCHA campuses. Six of the positive child care centers have already been abated and the remaining centers are regularly inspected and any deteriorating paint is promptly stabilized and repaired. NYCHA conducts regular inspections of all common facilities for lead hazards — at a rate higher than the national standard — and remediates conditions swiftly, without major disruptions to service provision or facility access. NYCHA also accelerates lead-based paint abatement in apartments where children under the age of six live or routinely visit. 

 

“Every child care center in the city needs to be safe, high-quality and hazard-free — New York City children deserve nothing less. That is why our administration is making sure every single NYCHA child care center is permanently lead-free this fall — and investing more than $10 million in the most aggressive public housing lead inspection and abatement program in the country. We will not stop until our buildings are safe and our children can learn and grow in peace,” said Mayor Mamdani. 

 

“NYCHA’s lead abatement program continues to make significant strides to protect New Yorkers’ health and safety. With this investment and over 20,000 apartments abated, the Mamdani administration and NYCHA are moving decisively and proactively to address lead hazards for families across the city,” said Leila Bozorg, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning. 

 

“Following the signing of the 2019 HUD Agreement, we began building a best-in-class lead program with one goal: creating lead-free homes for NYCHA families,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “I’m incredibly proud that we have now abated 20,000 apartments, creating healthier, lead-free homes for NYCHA residents while prioritizing families with young children. The progress we’ve made is the result of an unwavering commitment to thorough testing, safe and permanent lead abatement, and rigorous quality assurance at every stage of the process. Thanks to the Mamdani administration’s $10.2 million investment to continue this critical work in childcare centers on NYCHA properties, we will build on this momentum and remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting the health and well-being of generations of NYCHA families.” 

 

NYCHA has made substantial progress on removal of lead hazards across all of its properties, a key pillar area of the Authority’s 2019 Agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Through its Lead-Based Paint Abatement Program, NYCHA has successfully completed testing in 97 percent of apartments and abating at a rate of 300 to 400 apartments monthly. The Authority has abated more than 20,000 apartments to be completely lead-free, and is on track to meet the goal set forth in the HUD Agreement. NYCHA also accelerates lead-based paint abatement in apartments where children under the age of six live or routinely visit. Between February 1 and April 30, 2026, just two cases of elevated blood lead levels were reported for children living in NYCHA apartments — down from 10 and 8 cases during the same period in 2024 and 2025.  

 

As part of the agreement, in addition to apartments, NYCHA must test and abate common areas of its developments including its centers. The plan to abate and test these centers was developed in coordination with NYCHA’s federal monitor. 

 

The $10.2 million investment in lead paint abatement at child care centers is a part of a $195 million capital investment in FY27 to test and abate lead in NYCHA buildings citywide, part of a historic $5.6 billion capital investment in NYCHA — the largest such City investment in recent history.  

 

Lead-based paint is not considered a hazard unless the paint is peeling, chipping, or otherwise damaged. Testing is key to identify exposure among at-risk children. For information on testing and how to prevent exposure to lead, click HERE.  

ICE Lodges Detainer for Illegal Alien Arrested for Attempted Rape and Sexual Misconduct with a Child

The illegal alien was arrested in a joint operation by ICE and the FBI

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the following statement after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer for an illegal alien charged with attempted rape and sexual misconduct with a child in Indiana.

According to local reporting, the charges stem from an incident in August 2024, for which an arrest warrant was issued in December 2024. The underaged victim told officers that Javier Cereque-Perez, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, touched her inappropriately, tried to take her clothes off, and attempted to rape her in a vehicle near Fishers, Indiana. 

Javier Cereque-Perez

On July 6, 2026, ICE arrested Cereque-Perez in Indianapolis in a joint operation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Cereque-Perez was turned over to the Fishers Police Department to face justice for his crimes. He is charged with TWO counts of attempting to commit rape, sexual misconduct with a minor, and sexual battery. ICE has lodged a detainer with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office where Cereque-Perez is being held.

“This illegal alien is charged with attempted rape, sexual misconduct with a child, and sexual battery after he allegedly tried to rape a child in 2024,” said Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. “Thanks to our law enforcement partners at the federal and local levels, he will now face justice for his crimes. ICE has lodged a detainer asking officials in Indiana to turn him over to ICE custody so that he can be removed from our country, and can never prey on another innocent child again.”

Cereque-Perez illegally entered the United States at an unknown date and location.

Homeland Security Task Force Investigation Results in 13 Indictments in Western Kentucky

 

Following a lengthy investigation by the Louisville Homeland Security Task Force, a federal grand jury in Bowling Green, Kentucky, returned an indictment charging 13 Owensboro based men and women as part of a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy. 

All 13 individuals were arrested this week. U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky, DEA Chicago Field Division Special Agent in Charge Todd C. Smith and FBI Louisville Field Office Special Agent in Charge Olivia Olson made the announcement. 

According to the indictment, Michael Mayfield, 68, of Owensboro, Shawn Pendleton, 29, of Owensboro, Andrew Owen, 33, of Owensboro, James Jordan McCarthy, 35, of Owensboro, Brandon Horne, 43, of Owensboro, Rodney Murch, 43, of Owensboro, Timothy Barnes, 67, of Owensboro, Byron Todd Huff, 52, of Owensboro, Brooke Love-Moss, 35, of Owensboro, Gregory Belcher, 65, of Philpot, Jonathan Boone, 41, of Owensboro, Stephan Hill, 63, of Owensboro, and Jeremy Royal, 49, of Owensboro, were all charged with one count of conspiring together and with others to possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine from November 2025 through July 14, 2026, in Daviess County, Kentucky, and elsewhere.

Additionally, Mayfield was charged with two counts of distributing methamphetamine. Owen was charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Pendleton was charged with three counts of distributing methamphetamine and two counts of distributing cocaine.

On July 22, 2026, Mayfield, Pendleton, Owen, McCarthy, Horne, Belcher, Boone and Hill made an initial court appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. Huff and Love-Moss are scheduled to make initial appearances on July 23, 2025. Murch and Royal will make initial appearances at a future date. Detention hearings are scheduled to take place before a U.S. Magistrate Judge beginning July 27, 2026. 

If convicted, each of the defendants face a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. 

“Unfortunately dope dealers in Daviess County, Kentucky, have not taken heed of previous federal drug trafficking indictments that resulted in substantial sentences. As alleged in the Indictment unsealed today, this drug trafficking organization operated for nearly nine months, distributing methamphetamine onto the streets of Owensboro, until they were taken down in a sweeping law enforcement operation conducted in the early morning hours of July 22," said U.S.  Attorney Kyle Bumgarner. "Now, because of tremendous work by the Owensboro Police Department, the Daviess County Sheriff’s Department, and the federal agents comprising Louisville’s Homeland Security Task Force, our Office is positioned to hold each of these defendants accountable for the methamphetamine they allegedly pushed into Daviess County. Neither this office nor or federal, state, or local law enforcement partners will stop until drug traffickers learn that Daviess County is closed for business.”   

There is no parole in the federal system.

This case is being investigated by the DEA Evansville Resident Office, the FBI Owensboro Resident Office, the Owensboro Police Department and the Owensboro-Daviess County Drug Task Force with assistance from IRS-CI, the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office, HSI Bowling Green Office, Indiana State Police, Kentucky State Police.  

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank Dahl and Mark Yurchisin are prosecuting the case with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Aaron Cooper.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Louisville comprises agents and officers from FBI, HSI, DEA, ATF, and IRS, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky.

11 Charged in Homeland Security Task Force Investigation Relating to Aliens Found Dead in a Boxcar Earlier This Year

 

As part of a Homeland Security Task Force case, a federal grand jury in Del Rio, Texas, returned an indictment this week charging 11 defendants for their alleged involvement in an attempted alien smuggling operation that resulted in multiple illegal aliens being found dead inside a shipping container in May.

The 11 defendants charged are:

1. Karina Garcia, 37, of Del Rio, Texas;
2. Edson Alejandro Perez, 18, of Del Rio;
3. Seferino Huerta-Casillas, 35, of Mexico;
4. Jonas Ulloa-Aguilera, 25, of Honduras;
5. Mayra Alejandra Huerta, 32, of Del Rio;
6. Maria Norma Neri de Moran, 56, of Mexico;
7. Damian Huerta Analucas, 55, of Mexico;
8. Rosario Cristal Lopez-Saldana, 26, of Mexico;
9. Eric Hernandez, 40, of Eagle Pass, Texas;  
10. Franklin Williams Ayala Aguilera, 30, of Honduras; and
11. Pascual Raymundo Loarca, 34, of Guatemala 

According to the indictment, from at least April 2023 through May 12, 2026, the defendants and others operated a human smuggling organization that illegally used cargo trains to smuggle aliens further into the United States after illegally crossing them from Mexico.Each smuggled alien, or their families and friends, paid smugglers in Honduras, Mexico, the United States, and elsewhere between $1,500 and $10,000. 

Container opened with deceased smuggled aliens inside. Case number 26-CR-02066 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

The indictment alleges that, toward the end of April 2026, the organization began facilitating the smuggling of at least seven aliens from Acuña, Mexico into Del Rio. On or about May 9, after the smugglers illegally crossed the seven aliens from Mexico into the Del Rio area, the organization transported the aliens to an area near the Union Pacific train tracks in Del Rio. From approximately 1:18 p.m. to 1:25 p.m., while a Union Pacific train was stationary, smugglers, using red bolt cutters, allegedly cut the lock off a Conex shipping container’s door, loaded the aliens into the container, and then shut the door.

Red bolt cutters used to open the Conex shipping container’s door. From the indictment in case number 26-CR-02066 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

Photo depicting broken seal from the Conex shipping container’s door. From the indictment in case number 26-CR-02066 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

The shipping container was stacked on top of another and had no ventilation or cooling system. Based on the investigation, the recorded outside temperatures for that day ranged from 88 to 92 degrees Fahrenheit. In total, seven aliens were loaded into the container, including one 14-year-old child. It was secured from the outside and could not be opened from the inside. The train then departed Del Rio and traveled east along U.S. highway 90 to San Antonio. 

Map depicting US-90 and the Union Pacific Railroad system between Del Rio to San Antonio. From the indictment in case number 26-CR-02066 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

Once the train arrived in San Antonio, smugglers opened the door to the Conex container and discovered the aliens in peril. The smugglers then fled the scene, allegedly leaving one of the deceased aliens near the railroad tracks. Smugglers left the remaining aliens in the shipping container. The next day, the train departed south along its route to Laredo. 

On May 10, a worker at the Union Pacific Rail Yard in Laredo saw a leg sticking out from a Conex shipping container. Upon inspection, six aliens were discovered deceased in the shipping container. Laredo law enforcement contacted San Antonio agents for assistance. Later, San Antonio law enforcement discovered the seventh alien deceased and abandoned by the railroad tracks in San Antonio. Ultimately, seven aliens died from being in the Conex shipping container—four were Mexican nationals and three were Honduran nationals. One of the aliens was a 14-year-old child. The investigation revealed that at least one alien messaged a loved one, pleading for help.

Mayra Alejandra Huerta was arrested May 12 in Del Rio and initially charged with one count of harboring illegal aliens. She has remained in federal custody and now faces two charges in today’s indictment. Last week, eight other defendants were arrested over a multi-day HSTF operation across central and south Texas. Two defendants, Karina Garcia and Seferino Huerta-Casillas, remain at large. 

All 11 defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death and one count of aiding and abetting transport of illegal aliens resulting in death. If convicted, the defendants would each face maximum penalties of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Spears, Todd Keagle, and Ashley Ellis-Dotson for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF comprises agents and officers from FBI; ICE HSI; DEA; ATF; U.S. Border Patrol; USMS; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Department of Transportation; IRS Criminal Investigation; Texas Department of Public Safety; as well as local police departments and sheriff’s offices, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Photos of Karina Garcia, a U.S. Citizen, and Seferino Huerta Casillas, a Mexican national, who remain at large. 

US v. Karina Garcia et al WDTX - Indictment.pdf

Attorney General James Protects New York City Tenants from Illegal Lockouts

 

Spigro Management Attempted Unlawful Evictions by Changing Front Door Locks While Occupants Were Not Home

New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced a settlement with Spigro Management, LLC (Spigro) and its lead property manager Saul Friedman for illegally evicting people from their homes by changing the locks on their apartment doors while they were not home. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found Spigro unlawfully evicted individuals living in apartment buildings in Brooklyn and the Bronx on at least four occasions. As a result of OAG’s intervention, Spigro will pay statutory and compensatory damages of between $1,000 and $1,200 to the four unlawfully evicted victims in addition to $23,500 in penalties. Spigro will also be obligated to create an “internal lockout” policy to ensure tenants’ locks are not changed without their knowledge, which will be monitored by the OAG for the next three years to ensure compliance.

“Spigro callously violated the trust, safety, and privacy of occupants by illegally changing their locks while they were not home,” said Attorney General James. “Attempting to evict people from their homes by sneaking in and changing the locks is as sinister as it is shameful. My office will always take action against any property manager or landlord that violates tenants’ rights.”

Based in Brooklyn, Spigro manages more than 40 buildings including over 3,000 units throughout New York City. Many of these properties are cooperatives (co-ops) or condominiums with pre-conversion tenants remaining rent-stabilized.

In New York City, all lawful occupants who have resided for 30 days or more in their home have the right to remain in their home unless they choose to leave or are lawfully evicted through a court process. Surprise lockouts or “self-help evictions” are illegal. In May 2025, OAG opened an investigation into Spigro after receiving complaints concerning illegal lockouts. The investigation revealed that on at least four occasions, Spigro had illegally evicted occupants from four different properties in Brooklyn and the Bronx between 2020 and 2025. 

• In one case, an adopted son of the tenant who had lived in a Spigro building in Brooklyn for more than 22 years came back to his apartment after taking out the trash to find that his lock had been changed. The tenant’s mother had recently passed away, and Spigro claimed they believed his mother had lived alone in the unit. The very next day, the same tenant found out from a neighbor that the landlord had been removing his possessions from the unit without permission.
• Another individual who had lived in a Spigro building in the Bronx with his father for 45 years found that his lock had been changed shortly after his father passed away. Although the tenant requested succession rights to the rent stabilized apartment, Spigro decided to change the locks and claimed that the son had never lived there.
• Shortly after his partner’s death, a third Spigro occupant found that his key fob, which granted him access to his building, had been deactivated. Spigro claimed that a family member had permitted them to change the locks, though no other family members had legal authorization to do so.
• The fourth person worked for Spigro as a porter and resided in the basement of a building in Brooklyn. The porter was injured on the job and required surgery, so he filed for workers’ compensation. When he returned home from surgery, he found that Spigro had changed his lock and terminated his employment. When the porter attempted to regain access to his unit, Spigro claimed he had never worked there.

Under the terms of the settlement with OAG, Spigro must pay individual restitution to the four occupants OAG found to be illegally evicted by September 15, 2026. Spigro must also pay $23,500 in penalties. Spigro is required to develop an internal lockout policy to provide clear rules and guidance to Spigro employees regarding the necessary legal processes for changing tenants’ locks. As part of the lockout policy, Spigro employees will be required to keep a log of all lock changes, including the relevant legal authority and the date of the change. Spigro must also affirmatively notify all current tenants of their rights related to unlawful evictions. Spigro must notify OAG of any future unlawful eviction allegations for the next three years to ensure their actions comply with the laws and their internal policies.

Mayor Mamdani Announces Major Expansion of the Bureau of Coastal Resilience to Protect City from Future Storm Surges and Coastal Flooding Events

 

City to hire for nearly 70 positions — from engineers to city planners to field inspectors — to strengthen flood protections and prepare New York City for future climate threats 

 

The Bureau centralizes the planning, operations and maintenance of multibillion-dollar coastal resilience projects across City agencies 

 

Coastal protections complement Mayor Mamdani’s investments to address in-land flooding, including $108 million to improve sewer performance citywide and $95 million to address flooding hotspots in Brooklyn 

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.”