Staten Island home removal ushers in era of Hurricane Sandy-related demolitions

Sandy damage on Staten Island
Sandy damage on Staten Island

The United States Army Corps of Engineers has begun the process of demolishing city properties that were damaged by Hurricane Sandy in late October, the New York Times reported. It all began yesterday with the demolition of an Oakwood, Staten Island home; loud crunches of an excavator slamming down on the home’s roof could be heard.

From this point forward, the Army Corps will remove homes and debris from damage from roughly 400 city properties.

Sign Up for the undefined Newsletter

Tony Sclafani, a spokesperson for the city Department of Buildings, told the Times that the Staten Island project was actually not a demolition, but rather “debris removal,” since the house was already in a destroyed state. He said full-on demolitions would be taking place in the “coming weeks.”

As previously reported, Mayor Michael Bloomberg reiterated his support for city waterfront development, but said areas vulnerable to storm damage must undergo a climate risk assessment before new development takes place. [NYT]Zachary Kussin