Farrell explains hurricane evacuation zones for geographically isolated areas
Farrell notes the year's long cold snap and extreme July heat, and reminds the committee that hurricane season continues. She says geographic isolation is central to hurricane evacuation zones, which is why the entire Rockaways Peninsula is classified as Zone 1 along with places like Roosevelt Island, City Island, and Coney Island.
This year, we also saw the second longest cold snap in the city's history, followed by some of the hottest temperatures and heat indices in the city's history during the July 4th holiday.
As you know, we are still in hurricane season.
Geographic isolation is a central factor in designing our hurricane evacuation zones.
For example, while the entire Rockaways Peninsula may not be completely inundated by storm surge, we classify the entire area as Zone 1.
The isolation and limited access routes lead us to treat these areas as special cases to ensure residents remain safe, even if not directly impacted by a particular hazard.
There are similar considerations taken into effect for other geographically isolated areas of the city, such as Roosevelt Island, City Island, Coney Island, and parts of Staten Island.