FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 23, 2023

City of Kingston Creates Disaster Preparation & Recovery Resource

KINGSTON, NY – Mayor Steven T. Noble is pleased to announce that the City of Kingston, in collaboration with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County, has prepared Disaster Recovery and Resiliency resources for Kingston residents. 

The City of Kingston’s Disaster Preparedness guide provides preparation and recovery resources, such as shelters and food pantries, Emergency Services contacts, and tips for pets in emergency situations like flooding or extreme heat or cold.

“As the negative effects of climate change become more intense, the greater the need for preparing for disaster scenarios,” said Mayor Noble. “We will be rolling out a social media campaign with tips and guidance for preparing your home and your loved ones in the event of a climate-related emergency. I thank our Sustainability team for preparing these materials, and their ongoing efforts to educate our residents.”

Julie Noble, City of Kingston’s Environmental Education & Sustainability Coordinator said, “It is easy to get overwhelmed thinking about if we will be ready for the next natural disaster, let alone recovering from past events. We are taking the proactive approach to do all we can to be prepared, so that our responses will be swift, our recovery will be easier, and our loss will be minimized. This must be a collective action-- government and the community, together, as we are all impacted.”

The Disaster Preparedness resources can be found at https://kingston-ny.gov/disasterpreparedness.

In addition to this resource focusing on climate-related disasters, the City of Kingston is working with Ulster County Department of Emergency Services to update the Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP), which will address responses to a wide variety of hazards. The County has begun the process of updating the HMP to analyze the hazards faced by the County and its municipalities and identify a strategy for minimizing our vulnerability to these hazards. The HMP was last adopted in 2018 and has expired. More information about this plan can be found at https://ulstercountyny.gov/emergency-services/hazard-mitigation/draft-plan-update.

The City of Kingston is actively engaged in the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Climate Smart Communities Program. The Climate Smart Kingston Commission convenes monthly to strategize, plan, and implement the goals of Kingston's Climate Action Plan. Since 2009, the Climate Smart Kingston Commission has been an advocate for citywide sustainability, energy-efficiency and quality-of-life for Kingston residents.

The City of Kingston is a leader in efforts to create a more energy-efficient and sustainable community. Kingston has taken a comprehensive approach to building a city that is equipped to meet modern challenges and

embrace 21st century opportunities. The Sustainability Office manages the City’s environmental projects, initiatives, and programming, including energy, land use, climate adaptation and resiliency, transportation, recycling and environmental education. Current projects include Community Choice Aggregation, Organics Diversion, Community Preservation Planning, Waterfront Flooding Resiliency, Building Decarbonization and more. More information about the City of Kingston’s sustainability efforts at https://kingston-ny.gov/sustainability.