Photo Courtesy of Build It Back
Approximately 87 percent of the 8,300 one-to-four family homes damaged by Superstorm Sandy have completed the Build It Back program, according to the City.
By Michael V. Cusenza
Build It Back has served 99 percent of all active homeowners by starting construction, reimbursement of repairs, or acquisition of their homes, and 87 percent of the 8,300 one-to-four family homes damaged by Superstorm Sandy have completed the program, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday, six days prior to the fifth anniversary of the catastrophe, as the City released its latest BIB report.
That means roughly 7,200 homes, which house 10,300 families in the city’s waterfront communities, have finished the program, according to the 12-page analysis.
“As we near the end of the Build It Back program, we are continuing to make steady progress. We have succeeded in getting more than 10,000 families back in safe and resilient homes and stronger communities,” de Blasio said. “We have more work to do, and this program will not be done until every family is home.”
Up until this year’s historic hurricane season, Sandy, at more than $65 billion, was the second costliest weather disaster in U.S. history behind Hurricane Katrina ($100 billion). In New York alone, it cost the State more than $40 billion, and claimed 48 lives.
The storm ravaged south Queens, tearing apart neighborhoods like Howard Beach, Hamilton Beach, and Broad Channel, and sparking an inferno that completed decimated 100 homes in Breezy Point.
“Forever, we will look at flooding, surges, steady heavy rain and high tides differently because of Sandy. While we have a number of ongoing projects like NY Rising and Spring Creek to help with the mitigation of future flooding, we truly cannot put Sandy behind us until every resident has fully recovered from its devastation,” State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) said on Tuesday. “On this five-year anniversary, we take a moment to appreciate the improvements and progress made since the storm, but we also acknowledge the significant work that still needs to be done.”
According to the City’s report, the top borough neighborhoods with substantially damaged homes (elevations, rebuilds, and
acquisitions) include: Breezy Point/Roxbury (260 homes); Broad Channel (250 homes); Arverne (80 homes); Edgemere (65 homes); and Hamilton Beach (55 homes).
