Protecting NYC Small Businesses from the Next Flood
FloodLine empowers BIDs to safeguard their districts by providing the only "digital door-to-door" platform for on-the-ground flood documentation and localized recovery resources before, during, and after the next flood.
The Issue
40% of small businesses never reopen after a major disaster.
Flooding is an increasingly common driver of this loss. As climate change intensifies rainfall, stormwater flooding is no longer rare or predictable—but the systems meant to support recovery haven’t kept pace.
When floods occur, business-serving organizations often lack real-time ways to communicate with their members, and cities lack verified, street-level documentation of damage. Without clear guidance during a storm, and without timestamped, location-specific proof afterward, businesses struggle to access insurance payouts, disaster relief, and infrastructure support. The result is a growing resilience gap, where repeated flood events quietly erode local economies.
FloodLine exists to close that gap.
What is FloodLine?
FloodLine is a platform that helps small business reduce risk and stay in business during floods. It is provided by BSOs, BIDs, Merchant Associations to support their members.
Key Features
Local flood guidance, in one place
FloodLine allows business-serving organizations to share clear, time-based guidance with businesses before, during, and after heavy rain. Information is organized around storm phases, helping ensure consistent messaging across the district and reducing confusion during active events.
Centralized documentation of flooding impacts
Businesses can submit photos and brief notes before, during, and after during flooding events, creating a shared, time-stamped record of impacts across the corridor. These submissions help business-serving organizations identify recurring problem areas, track severity by block, and support follow-up with city agencies, landlords, and partners.
Coordinated access to trusted local support
FloodLine’s AI chat feature consolidates official city guidance and local support resources in one place. Businesses can ask questions in more than 35 languages and receive timely, relevant responses—reducing repetitive inquiries and easing staff workload during storm events.
For BIDs
Documented flood impacts from members stored in one place for easy access later on
Dashboard view with real-time information from members during flood events
Custom communications-out resources before, during, and after floods
Archived evidence of a recurring, and costly, issue to support investments in commercial corridor resiliency
BID Dashboard Preview
For Businesses
Localized support before, during, and after floods
Access to multi-lingual support via an AI tool trained on NYC-specific resources
Get business yourself, and support local businesses who provide flood-preparedness or recovery sources
Business Documentation Preview
Contact
Request a Demo
Interested in bringing FloodLine to your district or commercial corridor? Use this form to request a demo, explore a pilot, or start a conversation about supporting businesses during heavy rain.
Frequently Asked Questions
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FloodLine is designed for organizations that support multiple businesses in flood-prone areas, including Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), merchants associations, chambers of commerce, and property managers.
Businesses participate through their district or organization.
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FloodLine is designed to minimize operational and staff burden. Organizations enroll their member businesses, customize local guidance, and decide when and how to communicate during storm events.
FloodLine provides pre-written content, alert logic, and tools to reduce staff burden rather than add to it.
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Businesses are invited by their district or organization and can access FloodLine through simple links or QR codes. No app download is required.
Businesses can view guidance at any time and submit documentation during flooding events when relevant.
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Pricing is based on the number of businesses an organization supports. This keeps costs predictable and allows FloodLine to scale with district size.
You can estimate pricing using the calculator or request a custom quote.
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No. Businesses access FloodLine through simple links sent to them via text or email. There is no app to download and no account setup required for basic participation.
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FloodLine collects voluntary, event-based documentation such as photos and brief notes related to flooding impacts.
This information helps organizations understand patterns, support follow-up with partners or agencies, and strengthen recovery and advocacy efforts. FloodLine does not sell business data or use it for advertising.
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When flood risk increases, FloodLine automatically sends an initial alert to enrolled businesses based on zip-code-level meteorological warnings. This directs businesses to the FloodLine platform for immediate guidance.
Organizations can then send follow-up emails or social posts using curated FloodLine content at moments they determine most effective.
FloodLine is intentionally designed to send a small number of well-timed prompts—typically two to three over several days—to avoid overwhelming businesses.
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No. FloodLine is not a replacement for emergency services or city alerts. It complements official systems by helping districts share localized guidance and understand on-the-ground impacts.
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Yes. Pilot deployments are available, please fill out the contact form above and a representative will reach out shortly.