In NYC’s Basement Apartments, Deadly Flood Risks Remain
One year after Hurricane Ida, tenants in below-ground units are still vulnerable to storm flooding — as are 25% of the city’s residential lots.
A tenant inspects a flooded basement apartment in Queens in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.
Photographer: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
One year after the torrential rains of Hurricane Ida drowned 11 people in their homes in New York City, lawmakers and housing advocates are urging the city to speed efforts to make basement apartments safer from severe flooding.
There are an estimated 100,000 basement and cellar apartments in New York City, according to the nonprofit Pratt Center for Community Development. In a city where soaring housing prices and rents give residents few options, these low-lying units — some of which are illegal — provide desperately needed shelter for lower-income tenants, often immigrants.