Collaboration in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy should serve as a model for government at all levels, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on the one-year anniversary of the killer storm.
“To get that many governments to get bureaucracy moving to do more is amazing; there has been remarkable progress in the last year,” Cuomo said at an Oct. 29 press conference at the National Museum of the American Indian in lower Manhattan.
“We said to the communities, tell us what you think we’ll need and we’ll fund, we’ll empower that community,” he said. “Our approach was to ask rather than tell and let [cities and towns] come up with their own vision for revitalization.”
Joining Cuomo were U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, Metropolitan Transportation Authority chairman Thomas Prendergast and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey executive director Patrick Foye.
They and others toured the MTA’s South Ferry station, the World Trade Center complex and LaGuardia Airport, all of which the storm hit badly.
“No part of our region was hit harder than our transportation structure,” said Donovan, a Brooklyn native and former commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
Donovan cited the importance of Community Development Block Grant funding and the need for regional coordination. He referenced gasoline supply and comprehensive plans for fortifying the Hugh Carey-Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. “If we protect the New York side from water, it’s going to flow to New Jersey, so we have to have a comprehensive plan.
“It seems as though 100-year storms are coming every year now, so we must build smarter.”
According to Prendergast, advance planning helped the MTA preserve its $1 trillion in assets. Its New York City Transit unit alone has assets valued at $750 million. “We did not lose a single vehicle in our entire fleet, which is a major accomplishment,” he said.
Prendergast said the MTA’s overall cost, before reimbursements, was $4,7 billion for recovery from Sandy, and another $5 billion for hardening. He said restoring service after 90 days cost $206 million, $187 million of which was covered by the Federal Transit Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Foye estimated Port Authority losses at $2.2 billion, excluding resiliency. He said 82% of Port Authority assets were damaged, including electrical components.
