A two-acre fire in a city park prompted city officials to ban grilling while urging residents to conserve water to limit the impact of a historic drought.
New York City residents are being urged to take new precautions as a historic drought is impacting the city’s water supply and creating dangerous conditions for fires. The city banned grilling in city parks after a fire burned two acres of Prospect Park in Brooklyn. “Meanwhile, New York City Department of Environmental Protection staff and police are helping local and state first responders fight wildfires upstate to protect the watersheds that supply the city.”
As Ysabelle Kempe notes in Smart Cities Dive, “October was New York City’s driest on record and also brought the city its second-longest recorded streak of time without rain, according to the city.” The conditions are creating risks not usually present in the city and could create a water shortage if residents and the city don’t take conservation measures. Governor Kathy Hochul warned New Yorkers that the state can no longer count on typical fall rain, which would keep fires from spreading.
FULL STORY: Facing a historic drought and wildfires, New York City officials take action
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Journal of the American Planning Association