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AMERICANNewsline

18 MAY 08, 2026
Mayor Mamdani Announces $95 Million Cloudburst

Project to Manage Flooding in Homecrest, Brooklyn

OUR BUREAU tects New Yorkers in the places
where flooding hits hardest,” said
NEW YORK, NY
Mayor Mamdani. “This project
ayor Zohran Kwame Mam- turns everyday public spaces — our
dani, New York City De- schoolyards, streets and parking lots
Mpartment of Environmen- — into infrastructure that keeps our
tal Protection (DEP) Commissioner communities safe. As climate change
Lisa F. Garcia, NYC Parks Commis- accelerates, investments like this are
sioner Tricia Shimamura, New York not optional. They are how we de-
City Department of Transportation liver a city that is resilient, equitable
(NYC DOT) Commissioner Mike and prepared.”
Flynn and New York City Public “Climate change is already here,
Schools (NYCPS) Chancellor Kamar and our infrastructure must catch up.
Samuels have announced $95 million Cloudburst projects rebuild our city
in DEP funding for an innovative with the green infrastructure, like
Cloudburst stormwater management Typical Cloudburst Infrastructure porous pavement and underground
project in Homecrest, Brooklyn. stormwater storage, that will keep
The project is designed to reduce us safe during storms,” said Deputy
flooding, protect local waterways and Mayor for Operations Julia Kerson.
strengthen neighborhood resilience “These investments into stormwater
as extreme weather becomes more management are increasingly criti-
frequent and more severe. cal, and I am glad to see our agencies
Cloudburst projects use a net- working hand in hand to deliver cre-
work of neighborhood-scale infra- ative solutions to flooding.”
structure to move stormwater off “The Homecrest Cloudburst
streets during short, intense storms project is a major step forward in
without overwhelming the sewer protecting this community from the
system. In Homecrest, DEP will in- kind of extreme rainfall we know is
stall porous pavement on City streets becoming more common,” said DEP
and underground storage systems on Commissioner Lisa F. Garcia. “By
public land, managing an estimat- capturing and storing stormwater
ed 30 million gallons of stormwater before it overwhelms local streets
each year. The Homecrest project and sewers, we’re reducing flood risk,
will be built to handle the increasing- improving water quality in Coney Is-
ly common, heavy downpours that land Creek and building the resilient
can drop more than two inches of infrastructure New Yorkers deserve.”
rain in a single hour. Flooding Hotspots in Homecrest The project will target flooding
The Homecrest project will re- hotspots across a 350-acre area, in-
lieve pressure on the sewer system streets or flows untreated into Co- quality and meeting Clean Water Act cluding Kings Highway, Coney Is-
during peak rainfall by capturing and ney Island Creek. Reducing polluted standards. land Avenue and avenues P, R, S, T,
storing stormwater before it floods runoff is essential to protecting water “We are building a city that pro- U and V.
Mayor Mamdani Opens Applications for “The Little Apple”

dministrative Services as the program’s operator. Imagine out of the David N. Dinkins Munic- employees across a dozen munici-
(DCAS) Commission- Early Learning Centers has more ipal Building. Last month, Mayor pal agencies.
Aer Yume Kitasei has an- than two decades of experience in Mamdani expanded the child care The program will operate on
nounced that applications are now early childhood education, is 100% program eligibility to include all City the ground floor of the building’s
open for “The Little Apple,” the employee-owned and currently workers based at the David N. Din- North Tower and provide year-
City’s first free, full-day, full-year, serves more than 600 children across kins Municipal Building at 1 Centre round care Mondays through Fri-
on-site child care pilot program for 12 child care centers in the New York Street in addition to all DCAS em- days from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The $10
City workers. metropolitan area. ployees regardless of work location. million renovation is underway to
Mayor Mamdani and Com- The Little Apple’s pilot location The Municipal Building, one of the construct a 4,000-square-foot child
missioner Kitasei also announced will serve approximately 40 children largest government office buildings care facility, with completion ex-
Imagine Early Learning Centers ages 6 weeks to 3 years and operate in the world, houses more than 2,000 pected this fall.

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