CM Krishnan, Small Business Services commissioner tour Elmhurst businesses impacted by extreme flooding

Krishnan said local businesses have suffered for “too long” during periods of extreme weather, adding that there is an urgent need to ensure more frequent catch basin maintenance and calling for the expansion of cloudburst infrastructure.

Krishnan, Minaya, DEP representatives and SBS staff began the tour with by visiting Kings Combat at 83-27 Broadway, which saw its entire basement flood during heavy rain on July 18.

They later visited Jerry Pi Properties at 86-55 Broadway, which also suffered extensive damage following the July 18 storm. The business’s basement, utility rooms, electrical room and communication room were all impacted by the flooding, while several ground-floor retail tenants were also impacted, including Royal Bank, Kulu Dessert, Kennedy Chicken, Chinese BBQ Store and Broadway Plaza Mall.

Krishnan said the tour demonstrated the urgent need to implement flood mitigation efforts in the neighborhood.

“Our Elmhurst and East Elmhurst small businesses and neighbors have suffered too long whenever there’s heavy rain,” Krishnan said in a statement following the tour. “I’ve been steadfast in pushing government agencies and the federal government to do more to address extreme flooding, including more frequent catch basin maintenance, increasing investment in green infrastructure, and advocating for the restoration and expansion of the Cloudburst program”

Minaya said extreme weather events are the “new normal” for New York City, adding that it is imperative to protect small businesses from natural disasters. He encouraged all small businesses to contact SBS to plan for emergency situations.

“To any business owner impacted by recent flooding, please call 888-SBS-4NYC to connect with emergency response resources and services through SBS, and to everyone else: visit nyc.gov/businessprep and make a plan for emergency situations today.”

DEP Commissioner Lisa Garcia said in a statement that regular flooding has become “the unfortunate new reality” for New Yorkers.

“As we continue working on solutions, it is also important that we connect with communities to better understand the needs unique to each neighborhood and together prepare for the increased climate events,” Garcia said. “We appreciate the partnership of Council Member Krishnan and Small Business Services to help residents and small businesses in East Elmhurst.”

Krishnan has been pushing for more action to combat extreme flooding in Elmhurst and East Elmhurst for several years, hosting a walkthrough with then-DEP Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala in October 2023 before hosting a town hall in 2024 where the DEP committed to a feasibility study of dedicated storm sewers in the area.

Krishnan recently joined Mayor Zohran Mamdani and a number of local Queens elected officials to distribute flood preparedness kits to local residents last month.