BY ANTHONY O’REILLY
Five months after Sandy damaged thousands of residences in New York City, the NYC Rapid Repairs program has completed work on more than 20,000 homes, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced today.
The program was launched last November in the aftermath of the storm in order to provide heat, power and hot water to those homes affected.
Queens has benefited the most out of any borough, with more than 5,000 buildings repaired.
“In the four months since it launched, Rapid Repairs has restored essential services to more than 20,000 residences, allowing nearly 54,000 New Yorkers return to their homes where real recovery can begin,” said Bloomberg speaking at the American Legion Post in Broad Channel , which served as a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center following Sandy. “It’s a new model for disaster recovery that we proved can work.”
All scheduled repairs are expected to be finished by next week.
“The milestone that Rapid Repairs reached today in servicing over 20,000 families is significant towards showing that our community is making major progress following the devastation of Hurricane Sandy,” said Councilmember Donovan Richards said.
Bloomberg also announced the city’s plans for $1.77 billion in federal aid to assist residents and businesses affected by the storm.
The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City is also putting aside $10 million in private donations to assist one and two-family homes in need of repairs.
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