T0: FEMA

CC: BENJAMIN HUFF

FROM: LEXIE LEHMANN
SUBJECT: SPANISH SIGNAGE IN SANDY INUNDATION AREAS OF BROOKLYN, NY
DATE: MARCH 22, 2018

Summary

The purpose of this memo is to support the proposal for bilingual signage in Brooklyn. After
conducting spatial analysis of the Spanish speakers in the Brooklyn borough, I have concluded
that bilingual signage would be a practical addition to the entire borough, particularly in the
regions by the coast where there is a large percentage of Spanish speaking households, as well
as a high risk of flooding-related damage (as demonstrated by the Hurricane Sandy Inundation
amount).

My argument is that there is a strong enough presence of Spanish speakers with poor English
speaking abilities in Brooklyn that bilingual signage would help communicate safety measures
and environmental protections to the borough’s residents, thereby reducing preventable harm
in the event of an emergency of national disaster.

Testing

To begin, I created a map displaying the percentages of residents of Hispanic origin in Brooklyn.
I used a purple gradient to highlight the areas with the highest percentage of Hispanic origin. I
also included a layer showing the Hurricane Sandy inundation, which clearly overlaps with many
of the regions with the highest percentage of Hispanic residents.

Next, I created a map displaying the percentage of Spanish speakers in Brooklyn. I used a brick
red gradient to highlight the areas with the highest percentage of Spanish speakers, normalized
by the total population of Brooklyn residents. I also included a layer showing the Hurricane
Sandy inundation, which overlaps with many of the regions with higher percentage of Spanish
speakers.

Thirdly, I created a map displaying the percentage of Spanish speakers that speak English “Less
than Well” in the Census tracts that were effected by Hurricane Sandy Inundation. I used a lime
green gradient to highlight the areas with the highest percentage of Spanish speakers that
speak English “Less Than Well”. Of those census tracts, the top 10 tracts with the highest
percentages are highlighted with a bright red outline. Once again, I included a layer showing the
Hurricane Sandy Inundation, which overlaps with many of the regions with high percentages,
and several of the Top 10 tracts.
MEMO TO FEMA
22 MARCH 2018
PAGE 2

The map also includes a chart of the distribution of languages spoken at home in the inundation
area census tracts. The pie chart displays the percentage of speakers of a particular language
out of the total population of the area. The chart shows that English and Spanish speakers are
the two highest language groups in the inundation areas of Brooklyn.

Thirdly, I used information from the NYC Department of City planning to create a Land Use map
for the area contained within the Sandy Inundation area. From there, I calculated the total land
area for each category of Land Use, and represented the distribution of Land Uses in a pie
chart. The map and chart demonstrate that the greatest amount of land in the Inundation Areas
is zoned as Open Space. The second greatest amount of land is zoned as One and Two-Family
Buildings.

Results

Given the high percentages of residents of Hispanic Origin in Brooklyn, as well as the high
number of Spanish speakers, I strongly endorse the proposal for bilingual signage in Brooklyn.
In this study, I used the Hurricane Sandy Inundation area as a proxy for areas that are at a high
risk of flooding-related damage. These areas are therefore ideal candidates for bilingual FEMA
signage. The graphs clearly show that most census tracts in Brooklyn have a considerable
population of individuals who speak English less than well, and many of the tracts with the
highest needs are located in these high-risk areas. Therefore, bilingual signage to promote
safety and resiliency would be a helpful addition that would definitely reduce preventable harm
in the event of an emergency or natural disaster.

Action Items

I recommend that FEMA immediately install bilingual signage all of the areas impacted by
Hurricane Sandy inundation. Further priority of bilingual signage should be given to the top 10
census tracts with low English speaking capability, as well as census tracts with percentages
between 61.4% and 99.9%. One idea would be to begin installing signage in these areas of high
need, expanding to all census tracts with a high flood risk, and further expanding to all census
tracts in Brooklyn.

Additionally, I recommend that all boroughs be considered for bilingual signage in areas of high
flood risk. I suspect that Brooklyn is not the only borough that would benefit from this resource.

2
MEMO TO FEMA
22 MARCH 2018
PAGE 2

Part II – Quiz Questions

Nominal data will produce a _______ type of map, while ordinal data will produce a ______
type of map.

Nominal data: values that name or identify an object, such as a street name ex, FIPS
data from the US Census
Ordinal data: data values that indicate a rank or ordering system ex, For example, urban
settlements might be classified as villages, towns, or cities. Students are assigned grades
of A, B, C, D, or F. Soils are designated as A, B, C, or D depending on their infiltration
Nominal data will produce a LABELED map, while ordinal data will produce a
MONOCHROMATIC COLORED map

A small scale map will show _____ detail, while a large scale map will show _____ detail.

A large-scale map is one in which the ratio is large (i.e., the denominator is small). Thus,
a 1:24,000 scale map is larger scale than a 1:100,000 scale map. Large-scale maps show
a relatively small area, such as a quadrangle, whereas small-scale maps show bigger
areas, such as states or countries.

The US Census (not the economic census) happens every _____ years?

10 YEARS

Name the two smallest US Census geographic areas (beginning from the smallest to the second
smallest)?

Census Blocks
Block Groups

What survey data set is used when reapportionment occurs in the US?

The most recent census (2010); reapportionment will occur again with the upcoming
2020 census

What are we reapportioning?

How many seats a state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives when the
population changes. In contrast, redistricting is the process of dividing areas into
districts based on the number of representative seats that a state has.

3
MEMO TO FEMA
22 MARCH 2018
PAGE 2

A query is one of the most basic spatial analysis tools. What are two different ways you can
query your data?

An attribute query – uses records in the attribute table to test a condition, such as
finding all cities with population greater than 1 million people
A spatial query uses information about how features from two different layers are
located with respect to each other. A spatial query might choose cities within a certain
county, rivers that are within a state, or hospitals within 20 miles of an airport. Spatial
queries require a spatial data layer.

Q2: The dissolve function is a type of reclassification, it eliminates boundaries of polygons by

aggregating based on _______?

The same value of an attribute field

For example, a dissolve based on the street name field would yield a new file in which all
streets having that name were one feature.

What federal level data is commonly used for address matching when one gecodes addresses?

City data, ex. New York City

Georeferencing or rubbersheeting is a technique where a(n) ________ is used to reference

already existing data.

A coordinate system (specific locations on the earth’s surface using x-y coordinates
defined in a standard way. There are a variety of different coordinate systems, as long
as the coordinate systems match, we can display any two spatial data sets together.

4
 3.5
Miles

LEGEND
Hurricane Sandy Inundation

0% - 8.51%

PERCENTAGE OF
8.52% - 18.61%

BROOKLYN RESIDENTS WITH

18.62% - 33.81%

33.82% - 55.4%

µ
55.41% - 100% HISPANIC ORIGIN
Brooklyn (no data)

Water BY LEXIE LEHMANN (ASL2918)

Other Borough Census Tracts DATA FROM 2010 US CENSUS
 3.5
Miles

LEGEND
SandyInundation

0% - 7.11%

7.12% - 15.44%

15.45% - 28.42%

PERCENTAGE OF SPANISH SPEAKERS

28.43% - 49.93%

µ
49.94% - 100%

No Data BY CENSUS TRACT

Other Boroughs
BY LEXIE LEHMANN (ASL2918)
Water DATA FROM 2010 US CENSUS
 3.5
Miles

DISTRIBUTION OF LANGUAGES SPOKEN AT

HOME (IN INUNDATION AREA)

EN G LISH SPEAKERS 1.78%

2.08% 8.06%
SPA N ISH SPEAKERS

RU SSIA N SPEAKERS 4.35%

CHIN ESE SPEAKERS 6.30%

LEGEND Y IDDISH SPEAKERS 50.84%

11.33%

SandyInundation POLISH SPEAKERS

0% - 6.92% IT A LIA N SPEAKERS

12.83%

6.93% - 20.64% OT HER LA N GUAGE

SPEA KERS

20.65% - 35.2%

35.21% - 47.7%

47.71% - 61.39% PERCENTAGE OF SPANISH SPEAKERS

61.4% - 99.9%
THAT SPEAK ENGLISH "LESS THAN WELL"
(IN SANDY INUNDATION REGION)

µ
Top 10 Highest %

BrooklynCensus3

nyct2010
BY LEXIE LEHMANN (ASL2918)
NYC_Water DATA FROM 2010 US CENSUS
 3
LAND USES WITHIN INUNDATION ZONE
Miles
1.09% AL L OTH ER S/NO DATA
3.10%
2.46%
ONE/TW O FAMI L Y BUILDINGS

MUL TI FAMI L Y W AL KUP BUILDINGS

15.48%
MUL TI FAMI L Y ELEVATOR
B UI L D INGS

4.12% MI X ED C OMMER C I AL /RESIDENTIAL

B UI L D INGS
C OMMER C I AL /OFFICE BUILDINGS
5.98%
40.21%
I ND USTR I AL /MANUFACTURING
1.95%
3.63% TR ANSP OR TATION/UTILITY

6.37% P UB L I C FAC I L I TI ES/INSTITUTIONS

OP EN SPACE
9.90%
5.72%
P AR K I NG FACILITIES

VAC ANT LAND

LAND USE DISTRIBUTION

IN SANDY INUNDATION ZONE
BY LEXIE LEHMANN (ASL2198)
DATA FROM NYC DCP

LEGEND
All Others

No Data

One/Two Family Buildings

MultiFamily Walkup Buildings

MultiFamily Elevator Buildings

Mixed Commercial/Residential Buildings

Commercial/Office Buildings

Industrial/Manufacturing

Transportation/Utility

Public Facilities/Institutions

Open Space

Parking Facilties

µ
Vacant Land

SandyInundation

BKMapPLUTO

NYC_Water