Hurricane Sandy's "Build it Back" Program Revamped
New York City's Mayor Bill de Blasio confirmed the reconstruction plan of five-hundred residences, destroyed during Superstorm Sandy.
The "Build it Back" program also includes the disbursement of 500 reimbursement payments by summer's end. De Blasio announced his intentions from a Staten Island neighborhood, that was severely affected by the storm.
The Mayor commented, "We can't stand idly by as red tape and bureaucratic bottlenecks prevent far too many New Yorkers from getting the relief they need". The Program has been plagued by idleness, confusion and complexity; it will now be reformed.
The slow pace of the "Build it Back" program resulted in a city comptroller audit and left residents frustrated. Hurricane Sandy's October 2012 damage is still felt in various regions of Staten Island. Ocean Breeze resident William Kazak described to WCBS, "It's like a little utopia when it was going good. Now it's like a ghost town almost".
Currently, only nine homes are being reconstructed under the federally funded "Build it Back" program. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg initially established it, with the goal of assisting New Yorkers in rebuilding, repairing and elevating their residences. New York City officials claimed that an additional $1 billion dollars is needed from the federal government, to successfully improve every home in need.
