Five Towners to Decide Where Disaster Funds Go

The state will provide up to $39 million in federal funds for the Five Towns and Atlantic Beach as part of its new program to “rebuild and strengthen communities against future extreme weather incidents,” and local residents will have a say in where the money goes.

The New York Rising Community Reconstruction Program was launched this month by Gov. Andrew Cuomo following two years of natural disasters, including Hurricanes Irene and Sandy. Its goal is to “empower communities hit hard by the storms” with improvements to infrastructure or buildings.

“This program recognizes that New York’s effort to build back better must be a two-pronged approach with the state not only leading critical infrastructure and broad investment strategies but also providing localities the resources they need to invest in their own future,” Cuomo said. “When we are done, we will have risen to the challenge of making our great state not only more resistant to future storms, but stronger, more prosperous, and more prepared for years to come.”

Cuomo was joined in Albany on July 18 by U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, who also chairs the Federal Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force, along with 200 community officials and planners to kick off the program at a conference entitled “Building Back Better: New York State Storm Recovery Conference.”

Three Five Towns residents — Bob Block, executive director of the Five Towns Community Chest; Peter Sobol, a civic leader in Inwood; and Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzsky of the Yeshiva of South Shore — will oversee plans for the program in Cedarhurst, Hewlett, Hewlett Harbor, Hewlett Neck, Lawrence, Meadowmere Park and Inwood, which are eligible for $3 million each, and Woodmere, which may receive up to $6.6 million.

Atlantic Beach is also eligible for $3 million, while East Atlantic Beach can get about $6 million and South Valley Stream may receive $3 million.

As part of the program, Facebook pages and other websites will be set up to gather public input. Plans may take about eight months to complete.

“A tremendous group of volunteer Five Town residents is being formed and I’m very proud to be a part of it,” Block said. “It’s incredible that the governor obtained these funds and is looking for local leadership to see how it can be used to build communities back better. In the governor’s words, ‘we hope we never see a storm like that again, but if we do, we will be prepared.’”

In all, the New York Rising Community Reconstruction program is set to assist 102 severely damaged communities, including many on Long Island, who are eligible to share in more than $500 million of federal funding and $250 million of funding from the state’s FEMA-funded Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. Grant amounts “will be based on FEMA assessed damage levels as well as applications for new infrastructure and other mitigation, and will be awarded once the community’s plan is complete and submitted to the state for approval,” according to a press release.

Cuomo appointed Jamie Rubin, a senior advisor to the HUD secretary, as the director of the New York Rising Community Reconstruction Program. North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman was appointed a special advisor for Long Island Storm Recovery.

To read about how specific Five Towns villages plan to use the money, click here.