New York City Adds Message Alerts For Residents Living In Basements
The New York City Emergency Management Department is improving the way you receive emergency notifications from the City. Beginning today, April 26, Notify NYC subscribers can choose to receive two new messaging types – notifications regarding life-threatening weather conditions that may impact residents living in basement or cellar apartments and localized law enforcement announcements. Since the unprecedented flooding experienced following the remnants of Hurricane Ida, NYC Emergency Management has continued to improve the way we communicate with New Yorkers, culminating in the creation of basement specific messaging and alerts for residents. The additions are part of the City’s mission to ensure New Yorkers receive accurate and timely information, in their preferred language, that can help them take steps to remain safe during an emergency.
New Message Types:
- Basement Alerts: Notifications to alert New Yorkers living in basement apartments about potential life-threatening weather conditions.
- Police Advisories: Law enforcement announcements from local police precincts directed to specific neighborhoods.
“The ability to disseminate messaging to a targeted group during an emergency is essential to our role of keeping the public informed during an emergency,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “If you are living in a basement apartment, it is important for you to understand your risk, and have a plan of action in the event of severe weather. Start by signing up for Notify NYC.”
“As we saw following the remnants of Hurricane Ida, unprecedented rain events are becoming the new normal. Residents living in basement apartments are especially vulnerable to severe rain events, specifically those living in areas that routinely see severe inland flooding,” said NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol. “Receiving timely notifications with information on next steps can make all the difference during these situations. Don’t wait for the next emergency – sign-up for Notify NYC today.”
New Yorkers already subscribed to Notify NYC can opt-in and begin receiving either of the two new message types on the mobile app or by logging into their account, and updating notification preferences under the “My Account” tab. Notify NYC messages are available in 14 languages, including English, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Urdu, Yiddish, and American Sign Language (ASL) video format. New Yorkers can sign up for Notify NYC to receive free emergency alerts and updates in their preferred language by visiting NYC.gov/notifynyc, calling 311, following @NotifyNYC on Twitter, or getting the free Notify NYC mobile application for their Apple or Android device.
“The Notify NYC program is always evolving to continuously ensure New Yorkers receive the emergency information they want to receive, the way they want to receive it, and in their preferred language,” said NYC Emergency Management Director of Public Warning Rebecca Baudendistel. “The addition of these two new notification types will allow subscribers to further customize their alerts and provide our team with increased capabilities to better target those most vulnerable to flooding caused by severe weather events.”
