Crypto News: NYC’s basement apartments still face deadly flood risks

One year after the torrential rains of Hurricane Ida drowned 11 people in their homes in New York City, lawmakers and housing advocates are urging the city to speed efforts to make basement apartments safer from flooding. Although Mayor Eric Adams unveiled a broad plan in July to boost the city's flood resilience, there's been little progress in bringing the city's estimated 100,000 basement apartments up to code, advocates say, which disproportionately hurts lower-income tenants, often immigrants.

Some units are illegal, making it a complex problem to solve. A recent state bill seeking to legalize basement apartments has stalled, and other improvement efforts haven't succeeded. Meanwhile, about 10% of all basements and cellars in the city face some flood risk — a figure that could rise to one-third by 2050 due to climate change. In other words, time is running out to protect basement units and the people who live in them, Amy Yee reports. Today on CityLab: In NYC's Basement Apartments, Deadly Flood Risks Remain

— Allison Nicole Smith

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