NYCEM Marks Earth Week & Severe Weather Awareness Week 2025

Emergency Management


Press Release


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NYCEM MARKS EARTH WEEK & SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK BY RELEASING 2023 ANNUAL REPORT, SHOWCASING AGENCY’S EXTENSIVE IMPACT ON NYC’S PREPAREDNESS, EMERGENCY RESPONSE, AND RECOVERY FROM DISASTERS

April 25, 2024 — The New York City Emergency Management Department (NYCEM) today released its 2023 Annual Report, highlighting the agency's leadership in citywide preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. NYCEM's commitment to protecting New Yorkers is demonstrated by its work providing critical services that kept the city operational, from coordinating major emergency responses, securing major events, responding to severe weather, and strengthening community preparedness.

“Throughout 2023, New York City Emergency Management has exemplified leadership and innovation in safeguarding our great city,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “And as we mark both Earth Week and Severe Weather Awareness Week, it’s important to recognize that preparedness is a year-round effort. Through programs like Strengthening Communities, NYC CERT, and Ready NY, we're empowering every neighborhood to face challenges head-on and to build a citywide network of readiness. The work highlighted in this report wouldn't be possible without the dedication of our community partners and the everyday New Yorkers who understand that preparedness is everyone's responsibility. One of the best ways you can do that is by subscribing to Notify NYC in your own language.”

“In 2023, NYCEM's frontline efforts put New York City on stronger footing. We trained thousands in preparedness, spearheaded bold responses to real-world threats, and kept our iconic celebrations safe,” said NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol. “The release of this report during Earth Week and Severe Weather Awareness Week underscores our mission and dedication to go beyond emergency response to proactively build a more resilient city. Through community programming and tools like Notify NYC, we're empowering New Yorkers to keep themselves, their families, and their loved ones safe. This commitment to reaching every resident and building a stronger, more resilient city drives our work every day.”

In 2023, NYCEM's Notify NYC alert system, the city’s official verified emergency alert program, remained a vital and popular service, reaching 1.193 million subscribers, with a 30% increase in multilingual subscribers. The service introduced expanded graphics for clarity and a new sign-up option for life-threatening weather alerts specifically targeting basement apartment residents – a program that gained over 2,500 subscribers.

NYCEM is expanding the capabilities of the Notify NYC system to further broaden the reach of emergency alerts throughout New York City. Alongside established channels such as text messaging, the Notify NYC app, Twitter, and Nixle—which allows New Yorkers to instantly enroll via text for high-priority, verified alerts—Notify NYC will now also utilize Facebook (on.nyc.gov/notifyfb) to disseminate critical information. This addition enhances the system’s versatility, providing residents with even more avenues to receive timely and crucial updates, ensuring no one is left uninformed during urgent situations.

NYCEM marked a significant milestone in 2023, celebrating the 20th anniversary of its vital Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Ready NY programs at Gracie Mansion. This event highlighted NYCEM's unwavering commitment to building resilience from the ground up. The iconic Empire State Building even joined the celebration, glowing yellow and green in recognition of the programs' critical role in keeping New Yorkers prepared.

NYCEM's Strengthening Communities program, one of its key grassroots partnership efforts, saw a major expansion, integrating 21 new community networks for a total of 37 across all five boroughs, putting preparedness directly in the hands of communities. Each network received a grant to develop emergency plans tailored to their specific needs and vulnerabilities, ensuring resources and response efforts are aligned with the challenges each community faces. This program continues to underscore NYCEM's dedication to equitable response and recovery, focusing on enhancing the capabilities of local communities, particularly those that are often hard-to-reach by traditional outreach.

NYCEM's tireless work in 2023 kept New York City safe around the clock. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was activated 12 times to address emergencies and remained operational 24/7 in support of the city's asylum seeker operations. NYCEM's dedication was proven across 2,401 incident responses, including 603 complex responses in the field with an operational presence. During iconic events like New Year's Eve in Times Square, the US Open, and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, NYCEM worked behind the scenes to ensure the celebrations were safe for all.

NYCEM's mission extends to planning for the future, building a stronger New York City. In 2023, NYCEM updated the Coastal Storm Recovery Playbook based on lessons from Ida and provided technical assistance with City agencies on 35 hazard mitigation projects. These projects, critical for enhancing resilience against natural disasters, involve over $550 million in FEMA’s hazard mitigation funding – a significant investment in the city's safety infrastructure.

The 2023 Annual Report is a testament to NYCEM's proactive approach. From community-driven resilience to citywide coordination, the agency's efforts lay the groundwork for a future where New York City can thrive in the face of any challenge. To explore these efforts and learn more about NYCEM's crucial work, read the full 2023 Annual Report here or visit http://on.nyc.gov/nycemreport2023.

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