SUPERSTORM SANDY — TWO YEARS LATER

Building a more resilient coastline

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New York is working to shore up Irene-, Lee- and Sandy-damaged communities against future catastrophic storms, but the effort will take time, said officials at the state and local levels of the New York Rising Community Reconstruction Program, begun by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2013.

How much time is difficult to know exactly, officials said. Zachary Richner, director of NYRCRP, said that the first project the state will undertake in Bellmore-Merrick and Wantagh-Seaford — evaluating drainage infrastructure south of Merrick Road — could begin within months.

After the evaluation process, preliminary plans call for storm-water drains and bulkheads to be repaired and upgraded throughout south Bellmore and south Merrick, as well as in Wantagh-Seaford.

In addition, tidal check valves to help prevent an Atlantic Ocean tidal surge from reaching local streets through storm drains will be installed in Bellmore-Merrick and Wantagh-Seaford.

The total cost of all these projects is estimated at $6.3 million.

By Sept. 30, 2019, the state would also like to develop plans to fortify key infrastructure at the Town of Hempstead’s Norman J. Levy Park and Preserve and the town Department of Sanitation on Merrick Road to help prevent flooding in south Merrick, at a cost of $250,000.

The state plans to upgrade key facilities like the Bellmore and Merrick libraries, the Bellmore and Merrick senior centers and the Town of Hempstead’s Newbridge Park to act as “community resource centers” in the event of another catastrophic storm.

According to the New York Rising website, stormrecovery.ny.gov, “Following Superstorm Sandy, Bellmore and Merrick residents were without power for extended periods, making it difficult to access the Internet, make phone calls, communicate about distributing aid and gather with their neighbors for support.

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