Emergency Preparedness:

Lessons Learned From Superstorm

Sandy

Presented By: John Shea

CEO of NYC Division of School Facilities

New York City Department of Education

• America’s largest school system with over 1.1 million students and 140,000

employees

• The New York City Division of School Facilities (DSF) is the largest school

facilities organization in the USA, overseeing the cleaning and maintenance of

approximately 1,300 buildings and 130 million square feet

• 1,700 unique school organizations

• DSF budget is $1 Billion (DOE total budget - $24B)

• Opened and co-located 654 new schools since 2002

• DOE represents 40% of NYC’s municipal square footage, and 25% of the

energy consumption

Division of School Facilities • Maintenance

• Custodial

• Architecture/Engineering

• Contract Management

• Sustainability

• Environmental Health and Safety

• Finance

• Emergency Preparedness

OUR MISSION: The Department of Education’s Division of School Facilities

is dedicated to providing a safe, clean and comfortable

environment that is conducive in education and nurturing our

children in the most economical and efficient manner possible.

New York City Office of Emergency

Management • All NYC Agencies represented

• Coordinates response and communications in any emergency

• Coastal Storm Planning Group, consisting of 17 agencies, meets monthly

• 501 of the NYC’s 515 designated shelters are DOE school buildings with a

capacity for 700,000 displaced citizens

• 900 DOE Custodians and Building Managers are trained annually as Shelter

Managers

• OEM annually updates list of shelters and makes changes accordingly

Brochure for the Public

Superstorm Sandy

• Wednesday, October 24, 2012 - first forecast that indicates Hurricane Sandy will impact

NYC

• October 25 - Mayor Bloomberg orders the implementation of the Coastal Storm Plan

• October 28 - Mayor orders the evacuation of Flood Zones A and B

• Shelter system activated

• NYC public schools ordered closed for Monday, October 29

• NY Stock Exchange, Manhattan Transit Authority (MTA), Airports, and other citywide

services were preemptively closed prior to start of the storm

• Storms makes landfall on October 29th, 2012 as a Category 2 storm

DSF Pre-Storm

• Began working with Office of Emergency Management (OEM) on

October 24 - four days before storm makes landfall

• Activated the Unified Resource Operations Command (UROC),

responsible for coordinated shelter opening and activity

• Began to staff shift operations at the OEM Command Center

• Mobilized DSF Skilled Trades, IT and administrative staff to

protect buildings from storm damage

DSF During Storm

• Senior leadership maintained 24 hour presence at UROC

• Field reports were provided throughout the storm

• Coordinated “jump teams” that would attend buildings and provide any

assistance needed

• DSF staff operated and maintained shelters, with other DOE divisions

(School Food, School Safety, etc) providing resources to displaced residents

• Shelters housed 6,800 individuals in 73 locations at the peak of activity

Initial Damage Report

• Identified 250 buildings with storm-related damage, with 102 buildings

requiring closure on November 5th.

• In many cases there was flooding in the basement, with some instances of

flooding reaching the first floor

• Boilers were often submerged

• Flooding and wind had also caused fuel tanks to tip over, which lead to leaks

and the need to call in HAZMAT crews

• Air Quality, Moisture and DOHMH Water standard testing had to be

completed at all severely damaged buildings before students could enter

DSF Headquarters

• DSF main offices are located directly on the East River in Long Island City,

and was damaged in storm

• Staff was not able to access the building for nine days following Sandy

• IT infrastructure for DSF, School Food and Pupil Transportation was not

accessible

• Flooding in the basement resulted in the loss of valuable records

• Building was not fully operational until spring 2013

Pictures

Post-Sandy Priorities

• Recovery Operations

• Repairs

• Documentation

• Shelters

• Election Day

Recovery Operations- Repairs

• School Construction Authority provided temporary boilers and

generators for schools with major structural damage

• DSF skilled trades and contractors mobilized to dewater, secure

damaged property and make repairs

• Utility companies (Con Edison, LIPA, National Grid) needed to restore

services

• Environmental health and safety issues

• Other city agency partners (FDNY, DSNY, NYPD, etc) provided

assistance as required

Recovery Operations- Documentation

• FEMA requires significant documentation in support of

disaster claims

• Leveraged School Stat inspectors to visit damaged sites, take

photographs and record conditions

• Engaged Office of Management and Budget (OMB) at this

early stage, as they would be processing the FEMA claims

• No technology tools in place to collect, collate, or report

damage information

Sheltering Operations

• Shelters remained in operation for as long as needed. Last

DOE shelter was closed on November 14

• Some shelters were still in operation when buildings were

opened for students

• Two shelters were Special Medical Needs

• Custodians were required to clean and maintain shelters while

still supporting recovery operations

• Custodians had to prepare buildings for student occupancy

after shelters closed. This includes the removal of supplies and

cleaning

Election Day

• DOE is responsible for opening 698 buildings as polling sites

for all elections (primary, runoff, general)

• On November 1st, NYC Board of Elections began equipment

deliveries to polling sites, but only 640 sites were available

• Infrastructure including tents, portable heaters, temporary

lighting, and/or portable restrooms were installed in

numerous locations to ensure a successful election day

School Impact

• Instruction began the week of November 5, with 75,000 students displaced to

relocation sites. 102 buildings remained closed

• Relocated schools needed supplies to be delivered, including curriculum

materials, books and desks

• Major nor’easter and snow event - Wednesday, November 7th

• 37 buildings closed on November 13th

• 10 buildings closed on December 1st

• All schools back in original location following winter break

• Effectively only 5 days of instruction lost

Lessons Learned

• You need a detailed plan, supported from the top

• Training, training, training…

• Make the hard decisions early and often

• Leverage partners and relationships

• Documentation

• Technology and communications are key

THANK YOU Presenter: John Shea

CEO of NYC Division of School Facilities