‘I panic when I hear rain’: New York’s deadly basement apartments face growing flooding risk

Many of the roughly 100,000 units are illegal and do not conform to codes, making them a hazard for fires and floods

Josh Alba had lived in an illegal basement apartment in Queens, New York, for almost five years. Despite the low ceilings, he savored his chance to afford housing without roommates. But his tenure there ended during Hurricane Ida.

He'd been asleep on his couch as the rain started falling. He only woke up when his cat smacked him in the face, and he noticed water coming in from outside, rising to at least an inch on the floor.