How Data Analysis Can Inform Climate Change

By Alanis Allen, New York City Emergency Management, Resiliency and Recovery Fellow

Throughout my professional and academic career, I have learned that an important part of increasing climate adaptation and resilience is analyzing past extreme weather events to better prepare for the future. That is why I was very excited when I found out that I would be hosted at the Resiliency and Recovery Planning Unit at NYCEM as a Solomon Fellow. The Resiliency and Recovery Planning Unit conducts data analysis and creates tools and plans to enhance our understanding of risk to better plan for future emergency events.

With the effects of climate change already apparent, it is exceedingly important to incorporate this in climate planning. For my first project, I am analyzing the severe pluvial flooding that occurred last September ironically in the midst of current, historic drought conditions in New York City. Pluvial flooding is a type of flooding caused by heavy rainfall. As we saw from Post-Tropical Cyclone Ida in 2021, pluvial flooding can be very dangerous especially for residents of basement and cellar apartments. Understanding the highly affected areas as well as trends in recovery can help to better prepare New York City residents and explore possible avenues for agencies to help prevent future damage and loss of life. I have used several types of data to paint a picture of what happened on September 29, 2023. I have utilized data from 311 service requests, damage reports, weather stations, flood sensors, and several other sources to inform my findings. I have also been able to use socioeconomic data to explore disparities in damages and recovery across community districts. Another important part of this analysis will be the comparison to Post-Tropical Cyclone Ida. Spatially comparing these two severe weather events will help to illuminate any overlap especially areas that are being severely affected repeatedly. The analysis will also include comparisons to our existing NYC Moderate and Extreme Stormwater Scenarios to understand how well they match up with the pluvial flooding that we have experienced.

This project has been a great way to utilize the data analysis and mapping skills that I have learned through my Master of Urban Planning program. I’ve also been able to learn so much about the challenges that can arise when using several data sources that do not line up perfectly with each other. I am looking forward to finishing my analysis and compiling a report that can help people understand the full extent of how communities across the city were affected by the severe flash flooding that took place.