New York City is getting at least $1.6 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds to help public hospitals install floodwalls, flood proof elevators and otherwise become more storm-resilient, officials announced Thursday.
The money for Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, Bellevue and Metropolitan hospital centers in Manhattan, and Coler Specialty Hospital on Roosevelt Island is �deeply needed,� said Mayor Bill de Blasio.
About $65 million will reimburse repairs and improvements already made after Superstorm Sandy in 2012; the rest is for projects yet to be completed, said Daniel Zarrilli, who runs the mayor�s recovery and resiliency efforts.
The improvements will include a new, storm-resilient building to house the emergency room at Coney Island Hospital.
�New York City�s public hospitals serve a very vulnerable patient population and must not be allowed to remain susceptible to future storms,� Dr. Ram Raju, president of the Health and Hospitals Corporation, said in a statement. �HHC hospitals returned to service quickly after Sandy thanks to the extraordinary efforts of their dedicated staffs, but they remain at risk.�
Sen. Charles Schumer called the funding �a massive shot of adrenaline� for the hospitals� recovery.
�We will take what we learned from that experience and build back better and stronger,� Schumer said.
(AP)
1 Response
Bloomberg gave billions to billion dollar companies. This mayor doing same how many houses and families are still out of there homes. But hey they can live in cars.