Rockaways Resilience Network Working Group

The new map could put twice as many homes in the flood zone and raise premiums for many homeowners.

propublica.org - by Al Shaw - June 12, 2013

. . . while Sandy’s water has long receded and the bulldozers have left, a residual effect for homeowners along the city’s coastline still lurks quietly beneath the surface. It comes in the form of a July 2012 law called the Biggert-Waters Act, which will end subsidized rates for property owners who are remapped into more severe flood zones, increasing their flood insurance premiums 20 percent a year until they reach market rates, and will apply those higher rates for newly purchased property.

The potential increases, which proponents say are necessary to sustain the National Flood Insurance Program, are not widely understood by residents, and may be catching them unprepared.

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Biggert-Waters Act - Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012

doctorsoftheworld.org - by Henry Chang - September 12, 2013

While Hurricane Sandy was 10 months ago, the storm's damage continues to impact individuals on a daily basis. It is estimated that nearly 60% of healthcare providers still remain closed due to storm damage.

Doctors of the World USA's (MdM USA) initial efforts following the storm were centered on identifying local residents who lack access to healthcare and bringing volunteer doctors for home visits in the Rockaways section of Queens, NY. While deploying these services, the chronic deficit in healthcare infrastructure in the area has also become evident.

Prior to the hurricane, the Rockaways already had federal designation as a Medically Underserved Area and a Health Professional Shortage Area. Twenty-two percent of area residents live below the poverty line and 24% lack consistent health insurance coverage.  

It is in response to this situational observation and direct community requests that MdM USA will open its free medical clinic, the Doctors of the World Rockaways Free Clinic in Rockaway Park, New York.

wastedive.com - Nicole Wrona - July 30, 2012

New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg, announced a campaign with the tagline "Recycle Everything." 

The new program promotes a breadth of recycling options, including food waste composting and the recycling of both e-waste and rigid plastics.

Additional sustainability efforts include the Re-Fashion campaign, a program implemented this year that promotes recycling clothing and textiles in the city.

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Rendering of Seeding Office plan for the waterfront development in the Rockaways.  Photo - Seeding Office

Four semi-finalists out of a field of 117 design firms from around the world were tapped to design a huge waterfront development that can survive the elements and please its residents.

crainsnewyork.com - by Matt Chaban - July 18, 2013

A gaggle of architects from around the world has descended on the Rockaways in Queens in an effort to tackle a simple question without a simple answer: How best should the city build on the waterfront in the wake of Superstorm Sandy? . .

On Thursday, the four semi-finalists were announced. Among them is a prominent New York firm and the largest architecture outfit in Scandinavia.

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