July 24, 2026

City to hire for nearly 70 positions—from engineers to city planners to field inspectors—to strengthen flood protections and prepare New York City for future climate threats

The Bureau centralizes the planning, operations and maintenance of multibillion-dollar coastal resilience projects across City agencies

Coastal protections complement Mayor Mamdani’s investments to address in-land flooding, including $108 million to improve sewer performance citywide and $95 million to address flooding hotspots in Brooklyn

NEW YORK—Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Lisa F. Garcia today announced a dramatic expansion of the Bureau of Coastal Resilience to better protect communities against rising sea levels and the growing threat of stronger, more severe coastal storms worsened by climate change.

The Bureau centralizes the planning, operation and maintenance of the City’s growing network of coastal flood-protection infrastructure, and for years, has relied on a team of six staff and the support of borrowed crew members from across DEP. Mayor Mamdani is investing in a Bureau of Coastal Resilience that has the expertise and manpower necessary to meet the moment and protect our coastal communities for generations to come.

The Mayor has invested $43.2 million across the City’s financial plan, including $10.6 million in the current fiscal year, to hire 69 additional staff members to the Bureau, including engineers, field crews, city planners and other flood experts. The funding also supports several major studies that will strengthen the City’s long-term coastal resilience strategy, including a roadmap for protecting all 520 miles of New York City’s coastline.

Read the full Mayoral Press Release.