New Bill Would Require NYC Landlords to Provide Tenants With Flood Evacuation Plans 

The New York City Council last week introduced a bill that would require landlords to provide tenants with flood evacuation plans. 

The bill was introduced on Thursday, October 19, by Councilmember Carlina Rivera, after flash floods last month brought much of the Big Apple to a grinding halt.

Shocking photos were shared all over social media last month, showing parts of New York submerged underwater as torrential rain and downpours caused widespread flooding across America's biggest city. Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine noted in a tweet posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, that every single service line operated by the Metropolitan Transit Authority faced disruptions in the wake of the flood. 

Rivera’s legislation, if passed into law, would require landlords to present flood evacuation plans to residents upon signing or renewing a lease, according to the text of the bill. Landlords would also have to keep a notice of what to do in the event of a flood in “a common area of the building.”

Rivera told City Limits that the bill is specifically intended to help “New Yorkers that are living in basement and first-floor apartments.”

“The city still has not done enough to prepare for extreme weather events. So we have to move faster to create better infrastructure. But we also need to equip tenants with the information so they know what to do in the event of a crisis or a disaster,” Rivera said. 

If passed, the legislation would take effect about four months later.