NYC Misses Deadline on Sandy Repairs

Four years after Superstorm Sandy devastated the coastal properties in the Northeast, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has stated that local efforts to finish construction on storm-damaged homes will not be completed by the end of this year.

According to a report by the Gothamist, the city aimed to finish its Sandy-related construction work by the end of this year, as scheduled in the Build It Back program that was launched in June 2013. However, only 75 percent of the 4,016 single-family homes that the city is rebuilding from the ground up will be finished by New Year’s Eve. If the work was expanded to include the multifamily homes in the program, only 56 percent of the total 5,565 properties will have their work finished before 2017.

"We will fall short of that goal, for which my team and I take personal responsibility," said de Blasio the introduction of his October Build It Back Progress Update.

John Grathwol, budget director for the city’s Office of Management and Budget, blamed the delay on the program’s inability to "to get enough architects" for the work. "We failed you and failed ourselves in [not] bringing our case to you in advance of our hearing," said Grathwal. "We'll do better."