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Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled the latest city recovery plan, NYC Build it Back. The program is designed to assist homeowners, landlords and tenants affected by the devastation of Superstorm Sandy. Build it Back costs $648 million and is financed by the initial round of the federal funding in the form of Community Development Block Grants.

According to the press release announcing the new measure, there are four pathways to help Superstorm Sandy victims return to sustainable homes:

• Repair: A NYC Build it Back professional contractor can help eligible participants whose homes require minor to moderate repairs. Registrants also have the option of selecting their own contractor within Federal and program guidelines.

• Rebuild: If a home is substantially damaged and needs to be rebuilt, qualifying participants can choose a home model that is designed specifically for their community, uses the best available resiliency standards and is designed by a NYC Build it Back developer. Alternatively, registrants can choose their own architect and contractor to develop and build their homes within Federal and program guidelines.

• Reimbursement: The City can also help participants recover eligible out-of-pocket costs for minor repairs already made to their homes that satisfy all Department of Housing and Urban Development and other requirements.

• Acquisition: Some owners may want to voluntarily sell their homes and in some cases, the City will be able to work with communities to strategically redevelop these properties in a smarter, more resilient way. Housing Recovery Specialists will be able to explain these options.

For more information or to register, people are encouraged to call 311 or to visit nyc.gov.

Source: Metropolitan Transportation Authority Patrick Cashin

As the $60 billion Sandy aid package finally gets doled out, it is interesting to see how that mountain of money actually gets spent. A New York Post editorial highlights how Governor Andrew Cuomo intends to spend $6 billion worth of the pie on water-proofing the city’s subway system.

On top of the $6 billion set aside to figure out a way to somehow make sure the subway doesn’t get flooded again, the MTA is also receiving $4.8 billion in federal funds for general Sandy repairs. The Post editorial takes aim at Cuomo and the MTA for trumping up the damage estimates to ensure the biggest federal payout possible.

For example, when accessing the damage to the A train tracks in the Rockaways, the MTA guessed that they would need $650 million. Construction on that line is nearly finished and will open at the end of the month. In Cuomo’s actual budget released at the end of March, the cost so far has only amounted to $17.9 million. According to the Post, something isn’t adding up:

From photo op to photo op, there’s no reconciliation between huge initial numbers and later smaller ones. But this seeming opposite of a massive cost overrun isn’t that surprising — and it’s more Cuomo’s fault than the MTA’s.

Last year, the MTA was under huge pressure to announce huge numbers, fast — or watch the state lose out on federal aid. And now that the state has secured that cash, no one much cares what happens to it. After all, the money was free.

The cost overruns are creating questions as to where the money earmarked for the ‘water-proofing’ plan is going and how exactly it will be spent. While officials have solutions on how to protect above ground subways from storm surges by building protective walls, they have less of a clear picture on how to protect the underground portion of the system.

At a recent press conference, MTA chief Tom Prendergast admitted that he has no idea how to prevent flooding in places like Lower Manhattan, which has over 500 flood entry points alone.

The Post noted that many ideas floated to protect the underground subway are practical and low on cost, like installing deployable watertight grates across vents and stairways and placing inflatable bladders in key locations. Despite this, the Post is guessing that Cuomo and the MTA will likely favor a more expensive and futuristic idea that makes full use of the billions headed their way.

Source: aresauburn via flickr

The piles of money are coming, just not right away. The New York Times is reporting that the first round of federal aid totaling $1.77 billion will be distributed to rebuild homes devastated by Superstorm Sandy in the early summer.

As we reported earlier in the month, the money, coming in the form of Community Development Block Grants (CDBGs), has been approved. The Times explained how the money will be divided and who is getting it.

The biggest chunk of money, $648 million, will go to programs to rebuild homes and make them more storm-resistant, according to the city’s plan. That amount also includes $9 million for rental subsidies for up to 24 months intended mostly for low-income renters and people at risk of homelessness.

The rest of the money approved by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development will be spent in several ways: $360 million on city infrastructure, $294 million on investments to make the city more resilient to storms and $293 million on loans, grants and other programs for businesses.

The money is not expected to address all of the recovery expenses but more federal dollars are on the way later in the year. This first round of spending is designed to allow the city to spend the cash on those who need it the most.

“The most significant portion of the funding is for housing recovery programs,” Caswell F. Holloway, the city’s deputy mayor for operations, told the Times. “The biggest step forward in bringing neighborhoods back is to help people get in their homes.”

If you want to apply for grants you can do so by calling 311 or by visiting nyc.gov. Applications for business owners will be up on the city website starting this month and in June for homeowners.

Source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia

Let the river of green flow. After reversing their decision to bar Sandy aid reimbursements to those who had spent out of pocket money on home repairs last week, the city sent their revised plans to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for federal approval. SI Live is now reporting that those plans were approved and the first round of Community Development Block Grants, which total $1.77 billion, will be unleashed.

This first round of spending will be focused on housing, businesses and infrastructure, primarily on costs not covered by insurance companies. Approximately $838 million is expected to be spent on a plethora of housing programs and $415 million will be spent on economic revitalization programs.

Shaun Donovan, who is the secretary of HUD and chairs President Barack Obama’s Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Taskforce announced that the funding will have safeguards to protect against misuse.

“[HUD has] imposed internal controls and accountability measures … to ensure that all funds are used as intended — to help families, small businesses and communities get back on their feet and rebuild.”

Governor Andrew Cuomo signaled optimism at the announcement.

“[It's a] tremendous boost of support for homeowners, businesses and local governments that lost so much in Superstorm Sandy.”

Photo By Erica Sherman

After a stream of complaints sent to the Bloomberg administration and pressure from Senator Charles Schumer, the city has reversed its refusal to reimburse Superstorm Sandy victims who already spent their own money on repairing their properties, according to a report by the New York Times.

Earlier this month, we reported on how the disbursement of federal dollars from the $60 billion Sandy bill excluded paybacks for New York City residents who already paid for storm repairs out of pocket. Residents living in the rest of New York state, Long Island and New Jersey would be paid back, regardless of whether they had paid for repairs yet or not. The whole situation seemed unfair.

At the time before the reversal, the city argued that they wanted to focus the first $1.77 billion Community Development Block Grants on property owners who couldn’t afford repairs. The city received a torrent of complaints on the plan to exclude people who were desperate to rebuild as quickly as possible during a two-week comment period. The Bloomberg administration subsequently reversed their decision.

Senator Schumer who was adamantly opposed to the original plan from the start called the city’s reversal, ” a step in the right direction.”

Now that everyone has a chance to be reimbursed for Sandy repairs, the revised city plan goes to the Housing and Urban Development Department for review. Once the plan is officially considered, the city promised it would provide more details for how people can qualify for the grants.

Photo By Erica Sherman

People have been waiting a long time to see the the $60 billion promised by Congress last January. The first round of money dispersal is finally coming in the form of a $1.77 billion Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery fund (CDBG-DR) and the city wants the public’s opinion on the best way to dole it out, according to a city press release.

A report by YNN asked Staten Islanders stricken with Sandy woes for their opinions and most agreed that the first people that should be helped are the ones who got hit the worst.

“I want to see that aid get actually to the families that need it,” Tom Seery, whose home was damaged, told YNN.

Uncle Sam Is Picking Up NYC’s Sandy Tab. (Source: James Montgomery Flagg via Wikimedia Commons)

When Superstorm Sandy wrecked New York City late last October, we knew it would cost billions of dollars to clean up the mess left by Mother Nature. Thankfully, we can count on Uncle Sam, another mythical avatar, to pay for the mess left in Sandy’s wake. According to a report by Crain’s, the federal government, via FEMA and community development block grant funds, is paying 100 percent of the city’s enormous Sandy repair bill.

New York City alone suffered a staggering $6.3 billion in damages and emergency expenditures in the wake of Sandy’s wrath. FEMA is paying for 90 percent of the total bill, with the remaining 10 percent coming from the aforementioned community development block grant funds.

The money breaks down as follows.

• $341 million to cover staffing costs,
• $188 million in overtime pay for city workers
• $1.4 billion in immediate repair and relief bills
• $3.1 billion for road reconstruction, parks, beaches and pier repair
• $1.8 billion to fund public housing and business recovery
• $500 million to fund the city’s Rapid Repairs program
• $100 million for Bellevue and Coney Island Hospitals
• $61 million for debris removal
• $57 million for school repairs
• $34 million for demolitions of uninhabitable homes
• $824 million for road reconstruction
• $436 million for beachfront repairs in the Rockaways, Brighton Beach and Coney Island
• $528 million for future expenditures on beach, boardwalk, park and playground construction

It’ll be nice to see how far all this money goes to cleaning up and repairing the city, that is until another storm comes and washes away all the work this cash is earmarked for.

Source: intweetion via flickr

The Coney Island boardwalk had a triumphant reopening this past Sunday as thousands of people swarmed the beloved rides and reveled in some pre-summer fun. Despite this positive step towards recovery, many Coney residents aren’t joining in the joy. Still hurting from the devastating destruction left by Superstorm Sandy, protesters demanding action were seen alongside park revelers.

According to a report by Crain’s, the reopening of Coney Island’s boardwalk and rides was a smash success and one of the biggest openings in the park’s history. The usual gaggle of Russian immigrants, dog walkers and joggers navigated a deluge of thrill-seeking roller-coaster lovers, filling the boardwalk with energy and happiness.

“Normally Palm Sunday is a day for the locals and the diehards, but we had people here from all over,” Wonder Wheel operator Steve Vouderis told Crain’s. “It feels good to be back.”

Despite all the revelry and enthusiasm expressed over the return of the rides, Coney Island’s amusement business is still not 100 percent. According to a report by the New York Daily News, Coney Island’s famed freak sideshows are still not operational and won’t be expected to return until May.

Workers need two more months to finish repairing the nearly half million dollars worth of damage inside the Coney Island Circus Sideshow theater on Surf. Ave which was under four-feet of water after the Oct. 29th disaster.

It’s the first time in 32 years since the freaks missed their opening day acts.

“We aren’t happy that we aren’t open. But we are exciting about what we are rebuilding,” said Coney Island USA founder Dick Zigun who runs the shows.

Frustration was also felt by the now long-suffering Coney Island residents, with many protesting the slow progress in restoring much needed public facilities like the library and post office and clearing piles of debris.

“We’re in an isolated peninsula here on Coney Island, and we feel that they forgot about us,” a protester told PIX 11.

Local politicians on hand for the festivities surrounding the reopening of Luna Park promised relief but stressed that time is a factor in making sure all the funds from the $60 billion Sandy aid package are distributed properly.

“Its going to take several months, but the good news is, [the bill] is both generous and flexible, and is aimed at helping people from every different walk of life who were hurt by Sandy,” Senator Charles Shumer told PIX 11.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz understood the slow pace of the federal dispersal of the approved funds, but expressed empathy with the protesters.

“I think they’re right actually,” PIX reported Markowitz saying, “but it should go must faster than its been going.”

Source: Susan Sterner via Wikimedia Commons

When Congress passed the $60 billion Sandy aid package this past January, they agreed to provide 65 percent of the needed funds to finance sea walls, and repair dunes and beaches for our area’s coastal communities. The idea was that the city and state would provide the remaining 35 percent of the money but thanks to Senator Charles Schumer, the feds have agreed to pick up the rest of the tab, according to a report in the New York Times.

The remaining 35 percent needed to complete the beach restoration projects, which totals $1.2 billion overall, amounts to $436 million. The new funds will help finance projects that will be administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The projects the money covers include dune protection and repair for several miles of beachfront property in Long Beach and other locations in Nassau County and hurricane prevention and beach erosion control along the coast of Fire Island.

Our area will receive beachfront repairs in Coney Island and Brighton Beach. The Rockaways and other parts of Brooklyn will also receive similar repairs.

Schumer stressed the importance of these projects to the Times”

“These are some of the most important projects in New York and you might even argue in the country in terms of protecting heavily populated areas from storms,” Senator Schumer, a Democrat, said. “They have been held up for decades — the Long Island one for 50 years — for lack of funding.”

The projects, some long dormant, will finally get some much needed attention and funding after Schumer loosened language that limited the Army Corps’ ability to finish the work.

Schumer hopes that their final completion will payoff in the case of a future devastating storm.

Source: Metropolitan Transportation Authority/Patrick Cashin

The MTA just received its chunk of the massive $60 billion Sandy aid package, or $57 billion because of the sequester, according to a report by the New York Daily News.

Reeling in a total of $193.1 million, Governor Andrew Cuomo said that that a large chunk of the money, $141.6 million, will go to cover the cost of repairs to MTA equipment and facilities. The rest of that chunk will also pay for future storm preparedness measures.

The rest of the money will go to restore A line service to the Rockaways and fund repairs to Metro North and the Long Island Railroad.

Choo, choo.