Staten Island gets $56M to help shield homes from floods

More than half of the funding to go toward buying 23 acres of land

New Dorp on Staten Island after Hurricane Sandy
New Dorp on Staten Island after Hurricane Sandy

Staten Island has received $33 million in federal funding to buy 23 acres of land in an effort to reduce flood damage to homes in the borough.

The funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will go to the city Department of Environmental Protection. Mayor Bill de Blasio and Senator Charles Schumer announced yesterday that the city also received $23 million to acquire flood plain easements in New Dorp and Midland Beach in Staten Island.

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“We saw the immense impact Superstorm Sandy had in Staten Island’s Midland Beach and so, it’s great news that the USDA has agreed to provide millions in federal Sandy relief funding for the Bluebelt, a critical resiliency project,” Schumer said, as cited by the SI Advance. “With this funding, Midland Beach will be better protected in the event of a future storm and I am confident the Bluebelt will help reduce flood threats.”

Governor Andrew Cuomo sought federal funding in May to buy 75 houses and two empty lots in those two neighborhoods, to prevent long-term stormwater flooding problems, according to the newspaper. [SI Advance]Mark Maurer

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