After at least 11 people drowned in New York City basement apartments when the remnants of Hurricane Ida swept through the region, city officials promised better protection for people living in these illegal units. Advocates say the unlawful conversions are often the only affordable option for many New Yorkers, but they can become death traps during climate change-fueled bouts of extreme weather.

Since Ida, there has been a 20% drop in citations for illegal basement apartments, according to public data. Rather than tackling the issue by leaning on fines and issuing vacate orders, officials have instead pushed for ways to make subterranean living safer. They've joined advocates in calls to change basement housing legislation at the state level after a proposal stalled in the legislature earlier this year. In the meantime, they’re implementing stopgap measures – like targeted flood warnings for basement tenants – to try and prevent another Ida.

Read more at Gothamist.com.