ABOUT

New York City is no stranger to disasters. Throughout its history it has been confronted with natural and man-made events. This includes fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, terrorism, and cyber-attacks. Each time we experience one of these events, we learn how to make our people, infrastructure and environment more resilient. These events underscore the need to assess and manage risk. We must learn from the past to shape the future.

Historically, the response-recovery and repeated damages cycle prevailed. This is changing. New York City has fundamentally shifted towards mitigation, the critical step that can break this cycle and reduce losses after a disaster. According to a report by the National Institute of Building Sciences, it is estimated that for every $1 dollar invested in hazard mitigation, an average of $6 is saved in the long-term.

NYC Emergency Management is excited to release this web-based Hazard Mitigation Plan. This living plan will ensure we can continuously identify, assess and reduce our risk from an array of hazards threatening our city. We will continue to build this site because we consider it a resource for everyone. Centralizing this information can serve as a tool for your business, community, agency, or research. We look forward to receiving your feedback.

This website serves as an update to the 2014 NYC Hazard Mitigation Plan and includes:

  • Key features of the city’s environment that makes it vulnerable to hazards
  • Risk assessments for nine hazards discussing probability, location, and historic events
  • Best practices and specific City-led strategies for managing risks associated with each of these hazards

Please click on the feedback form icon below to submit feedback for improving the content and functionality or reporting any problems you experienced finding information on the website or email your comments to riskrecovery@oem.nyc.gov.

What is a Hazard Mitigation Plan? (A brief history)

The Hazard Mitigation Plan outlines goals, objectives, and specific actions New York City can take to reduce risks.

In order to be eligible for post-disaster mitigation funding from FEMA, including Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding, HMPs must be updated every five years. In March 2009, NYC Emergency Management (NYCEM) completed the first New York City HMP to help make the city more resilient to hazards.

In April 2014, NYCEM — in partnership with the Department of City Planning (DCP) and in close coordination with the Mayor’s Office of Resiliency (MOR) — completed the first update to the 2009 HMP. The Plan was effective April 17, 2014 – April 17, 2019.

Following the adoption of the 2014 HMP, NYCEM released NYC’s Risk Landscape: A Guide to Hazard Mitigation focusing on a targeted group of hazards that pose a risk to New York City and including information on how the City approaches risk management in a user-friendly and accessible format. Hazards featured in the guide include: coastal storms, coastal erosion, flooding, strong windstorms, extreme heat, winter weather, water shortage, earthquakes, and pandemic influenza.

In May 2019, NYCEM released in updated version of the NYC’s Risk Landscape document to serve as a hard copy communications tool for the 2019 HMP website. The revised plan focuses on the hazards that pose a risk to the City and includes information on how the City approaches risk management in a user-friendly and accessible format. The plan also includes two new hazards: Cyber Threats and Hazardous Materials: Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Releases.

Click on the following icons to view the full plans.

2009 Hazard Mitigation Plan2009 Hazard Mitigation Plan2014 New York City Hazard Mitigation PlanNYC's Risk Landscape: A Guide to Hazard Mitigation