Two-and-a-half years after Hurricane Sandy devastated Southern Brooklyn and changed the rules for flood preparation, the city’s effort to prepare homeowners for the next superstorm is finally getting off the ground — literally.
Several elevation and repair projects are at last underway at more than three dozen Gerritsen Beach homes through the city’s Build It Back recovery program, and thousands more throughout Brooklyn are set to begin in the near future.
Build It Back is encouraging all applicants who have yet to select an option for their home to do so by the July 31 deadline, and assistance is available at the Build It Back Center on W. 21 Street in Coney Island.
The federally funded, city-run program’s projects aim to elevate many one- and two-family homes several feet above ground level to comply with new Federal Emergency Management Agency guidelines for coastal neighborhoods. Some of the projects include complete rebuilds, but applicants can choose from several options.
Build It Back has already made offers to nearly 83 percent of Brooklyn’s 3,134 applicants. Construction has begun at 476 homes and finished at 224. Build It Back has also sent 1,496 reimbursement checks to Brooklyn homeowners who have already paid out of pocket to get necessary work done themselves, totaling $28,695,625. Those numbers were all at zero at the start of 2014.
One local elected official said the program is finally on track after its disastrous rollout.
“When Bloomberg left office, they hadn’t given out a dollar to anybody,” said Councilman Alan Maisel (D–Marine Park). “There are still plenty of problems that have to be resolved. There are still bureaucratic hurdles. But they’re doing a much better job trying to correct problems with the project.”
Those bureaucratic hurdles cause frustrating delays for some homeowners. One Gerritsen Beach family applied for Build It Back aid two years ago, after Sandy ravaged their home and destroyed all of their possessions. But they did not hear any concrete news until last summer, and they moved out of their home at the end of December 2014 so construction could begin. But constant delays brought construction to a grinding halt until June.
“I understand they didn’t know what to do,” said Lauren Slavin, who has lived in the neighborhood for 25 years. “I know the city wasn’t prepared for this. They’ve never dealt with anything like this before. But they should have been approving these things faster.”
Slavin and her husband Francis have been renting a basement apartment on Parkside Avenue while they wait for the work on their home — which is being partially renovated and elevated 12 feet — to be finished. Build It Back reimburses families like the Slavins for up to $1,500 a month in rent costs during the construction process.
The Slavins still have no date set for completion, but their spirits are up since consistent work began last month.
“We are very appreciative that Build It Back is doing this,” Slavin said. “But it’s been a long hard ride. We want to go home. We miss our home.”
The Council aims further improve the program with a vote this week on streamlining the approval process, and Build It Back is also encouraging contractors to hire Sandy-impacted residents.
Apply for repairs at the Build It Back Center at 3050 W. 21 Street between Surf Avenue and the Boardwalk in Coney Island, (212) 615–8329]. Apply for work at the Sandy Recovery Workforce1 Center [1906 Mermaid Ave. between W. 20th and W. 19th streets in Coney Island, (646) 927–6093].
