“Good Morning. This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

“Six years ago, our Administration launched PlaNYC, the most ambitious sustainability program any city has ever undertaken.  It set us on course for a greener future; but it also sounded the alarm about the immediate dangers our city faces from climate change, including extreme weather. Through PlaNYC, we’ve done a lot to make our city less vulnerable. But Hurricane Sandy made it clear that there’s much more to do. And since Sandy hit, we’ve been hard at work developing a plan to prepare our city for all the climate risks we face, both now and in the future. 

“On Tuesday, we unveiled more than 250 recommendations to protect our city from the effects of climate change – not just storms, but also heat waves, heavy downpours, and rising sea levels. Our report, called ‘A Stronger, More Resilient New York,’ outlines a practical, affordable plan we can start implementing immediately, including many steps that have already begun. For instance, we’re working to strengthen dune systems and beaches across Staten Island, South Brooklyn, and Queens, including in Coney Island and along the Rockaways. We proposed surge barriers in strategic locations to prevent flooding – like Newtown Creek, Coney Island Creek, and possibly even across the entrance to Jamaica Bay. And our plan includes building a strong network of bulkheads, floodwalls, levees, and other protections in vulnerable places along the waterfront – like Red Hook, Lower Manhattan, the South Bronx, and the East Shore of Staten Island from Fort Wadsworth to Tottenville, including Midland Beach.

“Our report also outlines how we’ll work with private companies and regulators to strengthen critical infrastructure against severe weather – including our power, telecommunications, and transportation systems – to ensure that they’re operating when we need them most. It describes how we’ll raise construction standards to ensure new buildings can withstand extreme weather. And our plan includes other important steps to help New Yorkers, like $1.2 billion in incentives for flood-proofing homes and businesses, $50 million to protect nursing homes and adult care facilities, and new programs to lower the cost of flood insurance for property owners.

“If we take all of the steps our report recommends, then if and when a storm arrives in the future, it will find a very different New York than the one Sandy hit so hard. Vulnerable communities along the coast will be better protected from waves and floods. Homes and businesses will suffer less damage. New green infrastructure will keep flood waters out of streets. And our critical systems will operate with less interruption and bounce back quicker if they do go down.

“This is urgent work, and our Administration will use every remaining day to get as much of this work as possible underway. It will be up to you to make sure we do – and to hold our successor accountable for continuing the job. We can’t completely climate-proof our city. But we can make it stronger and safer. And I know that if anyone’s up to the task of defending and adapting the city they love, it’s New Yorkers.

“This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg.  Thanks for listening.”