Mayor de Blasio Announces Federal Funds to Repair Sandy-Damaged Public Housing HD

NYCHA Agreement with FEMA for Coney Island Houses Means Critical Improvements and Protections for Residents; Provides Model to Repair and Protect Other Sandy-Impacted NYCHA Properties New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and U.S. Senator Charles Schumer announced today $108 million in federal funding to repair and protect the Coney Island Houses public housing development that sustained severe damage during 2012’s Hurricane Sandy. The funding announced today also marks a tentative agreement between the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to apply this model to fund repairs and mitigation measures at least 15 other public housing developments impacted by Sandy. The agreement of a total project cost of $108 million will allow NYCHA to repair and protect five buildings in the Coney Island Houses where Sandy’s storm surge brought damaging water and sand into the basements and first floors, crippling electrical and mechanical systems and leaving residents without power and heat for 22 days. Today’s funds mean that NYCHA can move forward with making critical repairs and implementing key resiliency measures to better protect residents. Through FEMA’s program, which provides funding for in-kind repairs and mitigation, NYCHA will be able repair all of the damages caused by Sandy at Coney Island Houses, where all boilers, electrical and mechanical equipment in the five buildings were destroyed, and make it more resilient to future storms. New construction of an elevated boiler building, the installation of a flood barrier system, as well as stand-by generators will now help protect NYCHA residents in this flood zone from future extreme weather. The funds will also support the installation of a security system including CCTV cameras and layered access entryways in the five Coney Island Houses buildings. The Coney Island grant will serve as a model to obtain necessary funding for repairs and resiliency at all other severely damaged developments in NYCHA’s portfolio, including Red Hook East and West, Carey Gardens, Redfern Houses, Ocean Bay Apartments, and Baruch Houses, among others. This agreement with FEMA follows other significant progress as a result of Mayor de Blasio’s overhaul of Sandy recovery programs. The new Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency is also implementing key resiliency measure across the city, as detailed in PlaNYC. The repair and mitigation work that can now move forward at Coney Island Houses as a result of this agreement includes: Mechanical • A new elevated boiler building to house three boilers and to be built to an elevation above the recent FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) to reduce future flood risk • Removal and replacement of building heating plant equipment, including boilers, pumps, tanks and traps throughout the submerged portions of the buildings • Removal and replacement of Sandy damaged compactors and lifts Electrical • Installatio