City Looks To Cut The Red Tape
With thousands in the path of destruction left by Hurricane Sandy still picking up the pieces 18 months later, the city announced plans last week to expedite the recovery in stormhit areas of Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.
Mayor Bill de Blasio released last Thursday, Apr. 17, “One City, Rebuilding Together,” described as a “diagnostic” summary of the city’s response to the October 2012 superstorm, which included recommendations to speed up and make more available various financial relief programs to recovering homeowners, businesses and communities.
The report follows changes to the city’s “Build It Back” program announced by de Blasio in January which, the administration claimed, has expedited the “pace of homeowner interaction, decisionmaking and receipt of financial support … in the past three months, with momentum growing.”
Announced by then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg last June, Build It Back aimed to provide grants and loans, among other assistance, to homeowners and business owners in areas of the city hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy. Critics claimed the program proved counteractive to its objective of expediting recovery efforts.
“We can’t stand idly by as red tape and bureaucratic bottlenecks prevent far too many New Yorkers from getting the relief they need,” de Blasio said. “[We’ve] laid out a blueprint to provide critical financial relief to homeowners and directly engage communities in the rebuilding process-all while continuing our work to ensure a stronger and more resilient New York.”
Striking the northeast U.S. on Oct. 29-30, 2012, Hurricane Sandy pummeled New York City with heavy winds of up to 75 mph and a 12′-high storm surge that inundated coastal communities such as the Rockaways and Staten Island. Billions in damages were sustained, requiring financial assistance from the federal government.
Under the various reform measures announced last Thursday, de Blasio noted, the city set a goal of having construction started on at least 500 homes in storm-impacted areas and at least 500 reimbursement checks issued to storm victims by the end of this summer.
Among the many reforms include expanded eligibility for reimbursement of reconstruction and city or state acquisition of property deemed too dangerous to be rebuilt to ensure that no home or business owner would be disqualified from such aid due to their income.
Other financial support to be offered includes relief from water bills for vacant homes and property tax relief, as well as American Red Cross rental assistance for undocumented immigrants in New York City who were displaced during Hurricane Sandy.
Additional reform measures include the following:
– The city will establish the Sandy Community Improvement Initiative to expedite and coordinate city services and capital projects in the storm zones. A regular interagency working group will also be created to help streamline the recovery process, set priorities and resolve ongoing issues and disputes between property owners and government agencies.
– The city will also look to expand eligibility for the Hurricane Sandy Business Recovery Loan and Grant Program and speed up the processing of applications for business relief. The city will also work with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to increase the individual program award limit for businesses.
– At the city’s Office of the Director of Housing Recovery, a new position will be created to focus on hiring local individuals to help rebuild their communities. Working with trade unions, nonprofit agencies and other partners, various programs would be created to recruit, train and hire local labor.
– The city will also create a new web portal to allow applicants in the Build It Back program to track their status in real time and view and submit all related paperwork.
Queens lawmakers praised the announcement and hoped the reforms would bring about a quicker, but stronger recovery in areas hardest hit by Sandy.
“While I am heartened to see New Yorkers finally begin to rebound from the devastating impact of Hurricane Sandy, the reality for many families and businesses is that the road to recovery is far from over,” said Rep. Joe Crowley, who praised the mayor “for recommitting our city to the rebuilding process and spurring the recovery for many homeowners for whom relief cannot come soon enough.”
“A year and a half after Hurricane Sandy hammered our region, many New Yorkers continue to recover from the devastation,” added Rep. Grace Meng, who applauded the mayor “for advancing recovery efforts so that affected residents and communities can finally receive the relief they desperately need.”
“I welcome the ‘One City, Rebuilding Together’ report and I look forward to working closely with the mayor and local community organizations in the rebuilding of our neighborhoods,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks. “I am also relieved to see that FEMA’s first reimbursement checks are finally being sent out to the numerous victims of excessive rate increases.”
“These latest announcements from the administration have brought new hope to many of our residents who have been displaced and are fighting to put their lives back together and move forward,” said Queens Borough President Melinda Katz. “My office will continue to focus resources on the issues and challenges still outstanding for these residents, so we may collectively find solutions.”
