Public Employee Press

Hospitals damaged by Sandy receive $1.6 billion from FEMA

Last November, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that four New York City public hospitals damaged by Hurricane Sandy will receive a $1.6 billion grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for repairs and floodwalls.

United States Sen. Charles Schumer helped secure the much-needed FEMA aid for New York City, which is the agency's second largest disbursement. New York is still rebuilding two years after Hurricane Sandy destroyed coastal communities in October 2012, knocking out power and flooding Coney Island and parts of Brooklyn, the Rockaways, Red Hook, Staten Island and Manhattan's Lower East Side, Chinatown and downtown, where DC 37 is located.

"Our members worked through Sandy to care for the most critical and vulnerable patients," said Local 420 President Carmen Charles. "So I am glad to see that repairing and reinforcing public hospitals to protect them from future disasters are priorities for the mayor and HHC."

The Health and Hospitals Corp. will use the FEMA funds to repair and flood-proof Coney Island, Coler, Metropolitan and Bellevue hospitals. The hospitals were immobilized and plunged into darkness when the super storm pushed water inland from the Atlantic and unusual tides caused the East River, Jamaica Bay, inlets and creeks to overflow.

"Patients, some in critical condition, had to be evacuated from these HHC facilities and thanks to our the dedicated unionized hospital workers, emergency medical workers and the National Guard, all were kept safe and transported to other facilities," said DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido.

The FEMA grant is part of New York City's $20 billion post-Sandy resiliency plan to protect the area from storm surges, power outages and subway flooding.

HHC welcomes the aid to replenish the funds spent on capital improvements and recovery, which replaced and rebuilt the hospitals' infrastructures, relocated generators, added new water pumps, heating and cooling systems, and flood-proof elevators that were destroyed. HHC also will build retainer walls to protect Bellevue, Coler and Coney Island hospitals from floods.

Sandy flooded Coney Island Hospital's basement and loading dock; water was two feet high on the ground floor. FEMA provided that hospital with more than $920 million for repairs and to construct an elevated critical services building with a new radiology and emergency care department.

Bellevue Hospital got about $375 million; Metropolitan and Coler hospitals received $300 million for repairs and floodwalls. Another portion of FEMA money will be used to better control tides at Brooklyn's Coney Island Creek.

"These much needed funds will help HHC modernize infrastructures so our members can provide care to the most vulnerable New Yorkers through any future natural and man-made disasters," Garrido said.

"DC 37 will continue to fight for adequate funding for HHC at City Hall, and in Albany and Washington to protect the vital services our members provide."