Information Available to Help Residents in NY’s Great Lake Food Areas

May 6, 2026. New York Sea Grant is issuing a reminder to residents in New York’s Great Lakes region about information resources they can use to document flood impacts and to recover after a flood event.

1. MyCoast NY: Anyone can download the MyCoast app or use the MyCoast website (mycoast.org/ny) to upload and view photos of the impact of localized flooding and storm impact on property and in communities.

Photo tips: In some instances, it may be necessary to take multiple images to capture a majority of the waterline at your property. If possible, take a wide shot to include your home or business within the frame as a point of reference. Alternatively, include other landscape features such as roads or docks. If needed, you can upload more than one photo to capture multiple angles.

Photos submitted to MyCoast are available for public domain use. Photos submitted through this statewide community science tool are used to create data sets and reports that help emergency management, state agencies, local planners, business owners, and residents make informed decisions for planning, response, and flood advisory communications; and to help leverage funding. Contributors to MyCoast NY should follow local safety precautions advised by local authorities and take photos only after a storm has passed and it is safe to do so.

Information Resource: My Coast New York fact sheet from New York Sea Grant and New York State Water Resources Institute: https://seagrant.sunysb.edu/Images/Uploads/PDFs/MyCoastNY-factsheet.pdf/.

1. After the Flood resources
   . New York Sea Grant provides assistance to landowners and communities to address coastal erosion impact: Great Lakes region: nyseagrant.org/glcoastal, downstate: nyseagrant.org/articles/r/23398.

. “Argh! I Just Flooded! Now What?” guide from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation: https://dec.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2024-01/NY_After%20the%20Flood.pdf.

.”Flood Response and Substantial Damage in NYS” New York State Department of Environmental Conservation fact sheet: dec.ny.gov/environmental-protection/water/dam-safety-coastal-flood-protection/floodplain-management/flood-response-and-substantial-damage-in-new-york-state.

MyCoast NY is a statewide tool funded by the New York State Water Resources Institute in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Great Lakes Watershed Program and Hudson River Estuary Program with support from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund, Long Island Sound Study Partnership, and grant funding through New York Sea Grant and the FEMA Cooperating Technical Partners Program and the Sea Grant Debris Challenge Grant program. The National Sea Grant Office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is providing additional support.

New York Sea Grant is a statewide, university-based program that connects research, outreach and education to the needs of New York’s coastal communities, environments, and economies. It is a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, with 14 offices statewide and part of the National Sea Grant College Program of NOAA. Learn more about New York Sea Grant’s Resilient Communities and Economies programming under Focus Areas at nyseagrant.org.

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