By Philip Newman
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced that $37.5 million has been set aside to provide anti-flooding measures to prevent a repeat of the shutdown of LaGuardia airport that occurred a year ago when Hurricane Sandy struck.
“Hurricane Sandy forced us to re-evaluate how we prepare for and respond to major natural disasters in New York,” Cuomo said at a news conference at the airport Sunday. “The question is not just if another storm will hit but when and the state is doing everything it can to ensure that New York’s infrastructure is strong and durable when the time comes.”
The construction that the money will pay for includes flood barriers, flood walls and gravity drains and improvement to the airport power grid.
Cuomo acknowledged the cost of the project was high at the time of tight money, but he said the loss to the economy of even one day if LaGuardia is shut down amounts to around $54 million.
