superpedestrian.com

Superpedestrian, Inc is a venture-backed company operating out of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Our diverse team is developing lightweight electric vehicles with integrated online platforms, finding new ways to connect people with their environment. Founded in late 2012 by Assaf Biderman, Associate Director at MIT's SENSEable City Lab, Superpedestrian seeks to provide new forms of human-powered mobility for cities. Ultimately, our vision is to offer an improved quality of living to everybody.

The Copenhagen Wheel was initially developed at MIT's SENSEable City Lab as a research project, sponsored by the Mayor of Copenhagen. It has won multiple design awards and been reviewed in over 1,000 media publications, including BBC, Wired and the New York Times - not to mention a glamourous acting debut during a whole season of TV series Weeds. Most importantly, Superpedestrian has been receiving daily requests for pre-orders - over 14,000 messages to date.

ncfpd.umn.edu - April 4, 2014

Webinar - Community Resilience and Impacts of Interdependent Infrastructure Disruptions as Experienced from Hurricane Sandy (One hour long)

Presented By: 
Michael D. McDonald, Dr.P.H.
Chairman, Global Resilience Inititatives
Executive Director, Health Initiatives Foundation, Inc. 

Facilitated By:
John T. Hoffman, Col., USA, Ret.
Senior Research Fellow, National Center for Food Protection and Defense

Under the dynamic conditions of rapid climate change and broader global changes, resilience and sustainability are not being achieved through traditional emergency management and humanitarian approaches alone. While community-based resilience networks are now beginning to emerge in a race to stabilize New York City's coastal communities significantly impacted by Superstorm Sandy in 2012, many impacted neighborhoods are still trending toward greater vulnerability plaguing recovery and preparedness for the next wave of potentially larger storms.

nyc.gov

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection offers a grant program for private property owners in combined sewer areas of New York City. The minimum requirement is to manage 1” of stormwater runoff from the contributing impervious area. If selected, DEP will provide funds for the design and construction of the green infrastructure system. Eligible projects include blue roofs, rain gardens, green roofs, porous pavement and rainwater harvesting on private property in combined sewer areas.

Private property owners in the combined sewer areas of all five boroughs of New York City are eligible to apply.   This year, for the first time, DEP will accept applications in both the spring and the fall, and applicants will have the opportunity to review conceptual ideas with DEP engineers prior to submitting their application.  More information on the program and the online application can be found on DEP’s website.   The fall due date is October 21, 2014.

submitted by Seth Golbey

On Tuesday, March 25^th from 5pm-8pm, and Saturday, March 29^th from 11am-2pm, we will be doing a citywide door knocking campaign to the Build It Back applicants who have been unresponsive to our numerous outreach attempts.  If these applicants do not reply to our requests, we cannot move their applications forward, which will prevent them from receiving Build It Back assistance.  This is why this outreach campaign is so important. 

Charlie Aidinoff from our office, is coordinating this outreach project.  If you and or your staff are able to provide volunteers for Tuesday, March 25^th and/or Saturday, March 29^th, please let Charlie know your availability so he can coordinate your outreach area(s).  Charlie can also be reached at 917-584-8950.

Thank you in advance for all your assistance with this outreach.

Andrew Olsen
Senior Advisor of Outreach, Brooklyn
Mayor's Housing Recovery Office
250 Broadway, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10007
(o) (212) 615-8069
(f) (212) 615-8328
***@***.***

Manuel Sanchez takes in the view of his flooded home and property on September 14, 2013 in La Salle, Colorado. Photographer: Marc Piscotty/Getty Images

businessweek.com- by James Rowley - March 4, 2014

The U.S. House passed legislation trimming premiums for government-sponsored flood insurance

The measure would limit premium increases to 18 percent per policy or 15 percent of an average of premiums in a particular flood zone.

The House bill, H.R. 3370, must be reconciled with legislation passed by the Democratic-controlled Senate that House Republican leaders said would roll back too many of the 2012 law’s changes. The Senate bill is S. 1926.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Image: A fruit juice cafe in Road Town, Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands. Many Caribbean islands are turning to sustainable energy. Photographs: Jenny Bates

theguardian.com - John Vidal - February 10th, 2014

Aruba in the southern Caribbean has 107,000 people, a lot of wind and sun and, until very recently, one very big problem. Despite the trade winds and sunshine, it was spending more than 16% of its economy on importing 6,500 barrels of diesel fuel a day to generate electricity. People were furious at the tripling of energy prices in 10 years and the resulting spiralling costs of imported water and food.

(VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE)

submitted by Seth Golbey - January 21, 2014
Voluntary Agencies Group Supervisor
FEMA-4085-DR-NY

(TO DOWNLOAD FLYER - CLICK ON ATTACHMENT BELOW)

Block and Tenant Associations Workshop Schedule

February – March 2014

All of the following interactive workshops will be held at

1385 East 94^th St, bet Avenues K and L

6:30-9:00pm

Who should attend:  

All Canarsiens interested in starting or strengthening a Block, Condo/Coop, or Tenant Association

Date:  Tuesday, February 18

Topic:  Canarsie Resilience: Building a Stronger Community Block by-Block

• Discussion of Block/Tenant/Condo workshops series
• Learn more about NY Resiliency and  Bridge Streetservices

Work Group Assignment: Participants will review and begin completing a 12-month action plan

Stephen Elbaz revealed mold behind the wall vinyl at a Brooklyn co-op.   Uli Seit for The New York Times

nytimes.com - by Mireya Navarro - May 1, 2013

Since the hurricane, thousands of homeowners have been startled to discover that co-ops are largely barred from federal disaster assistance. The rules have stirred growing criticism from members of Congress from the region, who contend that the system fails to take into account how people live in New York City, where co-ops have flourished.

The lawmakers are calling for the rules to be changed, saying that as severe weather becomes more common, the region will be increasingly shortchanged in disaster aid.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Prepared by Heriberto Martinez, PCP
Voluntary Agency Liaison Deputy Group Supervisor
Federal Emergency Management Agency

New York Hurricane Sandy
Grants Information: Funders, Resources, and Grant Writing Tool February 10, 2014

(CLICK ON ATTACHMENT BELOW - 154 page Word document)

From: NYC OEM <***@***.***>
Date: January 22, 2014 at 2:09:24 PM CST
Subject: Update - Weather - Bitter Cold - Low Temperatures and Wind Chills (Citywide)

Wed Jan 22 14:57:45 2014 
STATUS: Open - Active 
PROGNOSIS: Monitoring 
Weather-Cold/Snow 
Citywide  1/21- 1/24

(OEM Weather Distribution List)

SYNOPSIS

Intensifying low pressure well south of long island will move farther out to sea through tonight as weak high pressure builds from the west.  A weakening Alberta Clipper will move through on Thursday . . . followed by a high pressure ridge building in through the end of the week.  Another Alberta Clipper low will pass late Saturday . . . reinforcing the cold air across the area.  Unsettled weather is possible during the beginning of next week. 

TEMPERATURES

Today: cold; high around 15°F with wind chill values as low as 13 below (-13°F); lows around 6°F with wind chill values as low as 5 to 10 below (-5°F to -10°F). 

Thursday: cold; highs in the lower 20s with wind chill values as low as 8 below (-8°F) in the morning; lows around 9°F with wind chill values as low as 8 below (-8°F) after midnight. 

Projects Statewide to Strengthen New York’s Communities Against Extreme Weather

governor.ny.gov - Andrew M. Cuomo - Governor - January 7, 2014

insurancejournal.com - by Andrew G. Simpson - January 7, 2014

The U.S. Senate is expected to take a key vote soon on a bill that would delay some of the flood insurance rate hikes triggered by the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012. . .

. . . The procedural vote on S.1846 was originally planned for Wednesday, but the Senate is still dealing with an extension of federal unemployment benefits, delaying consideration of the flood bill. U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), a major advocate for the bill, told USA Today that  “next week is more realistic” for any vote on the flood bill.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Greg Mauch uses a shovel to clear several inches of snow from her sidewalk in Detroit, Jan. 2, 2014.
Joshua Lott/Reuters

abcnews.com - Associated Press - by Carson Walker - January 4, 2014

It has been decades since parts of the Midwest experienced a deep freeze like the one expected to arrive Sunday, with potential record-low temperatures heightening fears of frostbite and hypothermia even in a region where residents are accustomed to bundling up.

This "polar vortex," as one meteorologist calls it, is caused by a counterclockwise-rotating pool of cold, dense air. The frigid air, piled up at the North Pole, will be pushed down to the U.S., funneling it as far south as the Gulf Coast.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)