NYC will double to six the number of evacuation zones along its coast and expand them to include an additional 640,000 residents.
The changes to the city’s coastal storm plan were from a report on the response to Hurricane Sandy prepared at Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s request.
The new evacuation zones will bring to nearly three million the number of New Yorkers living in these areas. The city has roughly eight million residents.
In addition, a number of smaller recommendations from the report are already being acted on, like the purchase of more emergency lights, generators and small boats for firefighters.
The report also calls for new regulations for hospitals, nursing homes and adult homes during evacuations. It recommends the creation of a patient tracking system, better communication equipment and guidelines for the return of patients.
City officials said they planned to issue a future report on infrastructure planning.