Mayor Eric Adams insists the city is prepared for this weekend’s storm

Though New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ trip to Latin America will keep him from “being in the streets”  as another storm bears down on the city, he and his administration appear to have no intention of being accused of flat-footedness this time around. 

Still facing a barrage of pushback over what critics have characterized as a lack of preparation for the last big storm to hit the city on Friday, Sept. 29, the Adams administration is significantly ramping up its response to another bout of potentially heavy showers projected for this weekend. 

Over the past 24 hours, city officials have deployed an array of warnings about the storm, advising New Yorkers to prepare for possible heavy rain and flooding. A Flood Watch has also been issued in the five boroughs for Friday night to Saturday afternoon, and the city is projecting 1.5 to 2.5 inches of rainfall, with 3 to 4 inches of rainfall in some localized areas. 

This weekend’s weather event is projected to be far milder than last Friday’s storm, which trapped students in flooded schools, stranded New Yorkers and shut down a broad spectrum of public transportation. Still, with the city’s response and preparation under review and in the spotlight, the blitz of communication this time around is unsurprising even if it does prove to be somewhat of an overreaction. Adams, who tweeted last night that the city had activated its flash flood emergency plan, again emphasized the city’s preparation at an unrelated press briefing in Ecuador this morning. 

The New York City Department of Education, also seemingly on a course correction, sent out two separate emails to principals in advance of Friday’s rain, informing schools about the impending weather and giving guidance on how to respond if needed, according to Chalkbeat New York.

Later, city officials delivered a briefing about the potential flash flooding and how New Yorkers should prepare – something that the city failed to do in advance of last week’s storm. 

“Every single one of our agencies has an emergency plan and we are executing those plans,” First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright said Friday afternoon. “We are ready and you should be as well.”