Photo Courtesy of Kevin Coughlin/Office of the Governor
“In New York, we come together and lift each other up in times of devastation and despair, and I applaud these individuals for dedicating themselves to others who were hurting. In the worst of times, they showed us the best of humanity—and the best of New York,” Gov. Hochul said.
By Forum Staff
On Thursday, Sept. 1, the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Ida, Gov. Kathy Hochul honored seven New Yorkers for their heroic actions in the aftermath of the storm, which flooded homes and roads, caused billions of dollars in damages and killed 18 New Yorkers.
Hochul also issued a proclamation honoring Sept. 1, 2022 as Hurricane Ida Remembrance Day. The event took place at Elmcor Youth & Adult Activities in Corona alongside community leaders and partners in government.
Hochul honored the following individuals at today’s ceremonial event:
- Maynel “Junior” Moreno and Jenniffer Moreno
- Tom Grech, President, Queens Chamber of Commerce
- Tafadar Sourov Laborers Local 79 organizer
- Reverend Patrick Young, First Baptist Church
- Yoselin Genao-Estrella, Executive Director, Neighborhood Housing Services
- Saeeda Dunston, Executive Director, Elmcor Youth and Adult Activities
“In New York, we come together and lift each other up in times of devastation and despair, and I applaud these individuals for dedicating themselves to others who were hurting. In the worst of times, they showed us the best of humanity—and the best of New York,” Hochul said.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, New York State government agencies at all levels worked together with the federal government, private sector organizations, and community volunteers responding to the storm, saving lives and protecting the health and safety of people during this emergency. This partnership has produced enhanced efforts that increased the state’s preparedness, planning, training, and cooperation.
Earlier this spring, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced an allocation of $3 billion in CDBG-DR funds to help communities equitably recover from disasters, including Hurricane Ida, and build resilience to climate change. GOSR was allocated $41.2 million to support various proposed programs.
Hochul secured an Emergency Disaster Declaration and a Major Disaster Declaration from President Biden following the devastation caused by Hurricane Ida and its unprecedented, historic rainfall. The counties covered by the declarations include: Bronx, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester.
Last month, Hochul announced the release of a proposed Action Plan by the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery to recover from Hurricane Ida to strengthen the resiliency of communities in future storm events. The proposed plan includes $41.2 million in federal funding to support initiatives that will help residents outside of New York City adapt to the effects of climate change while prioritizing historically underserved communities.
Hochul also announced that the State will be collecting public input on a variety of proposed programs that will remediate Ida-related damage to residential homes, improve resiliency to reduce risk of future flood damage, and to focus on recovery in low- to moderate-income communities.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. said, “One year ago today, thousands of Queens residents from Flushing to Hollis and beyond saw their lives change in an instant. But from the scenes of devastation across Queens came stories of neighbors helping neighbors — and even complete strangers stepping up to help clothe and feed families who lost so much. Today, we honor those who lost their lives during this catastrophe, and we honor all those heroes who lent a hand in one of our borough’s times of greatest need.”
