Donovan, Borelli Push for South Shore Resiliency Investments

Press Release

Congressman Dan Donovan (NY-11) and Council Member Joe Borelli today called for resiliency investments on Staten Island's South Shore to fill a gap between existing flood protection projects. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is constructing a comprehensive line of protection from Fort Wadsworth to Great Kills Park, and the Governor's Office of Storm Recovery is advancing breakwaters and dunes for Tottenville. The neighborhoods between Great Kills and Tottenville, though, require attention and protection.

Congressman Donovan said, "I want to be clear: The City's resiliency team has been doing great work, and we collaborate regularly on important projects like the Army Corps seawall. We're in the middle of yet another hurricane season, though, and there's a critical gap along Staten Island's coastline. I understand that some funding had to be reallocated to Build it Back and that may have caused delays, but protecting these neighborhoods is a priority. I'd like to see the City use the other funding sources at their disposal to move the Raised Shorelines initiative forward on Staten Island."

Council Member Borelli said, "My constituents have been patient and happy to help out their neighbors further down the shoreline, but resources that had been temporarily reallocated to ensure that families could return to their homes must ultimately be restored. Coastal residents of the south shore should not be left in the dark on this issue and there needs to be a clear message coming from government that their vulnerabilities to extreme weather are understood and that shoreline protection is being planned for."

Staten Island's South Shore has been listed as a vulnerable area requiring resiliency investments for years. According to the City's 2013 Special Initiative for Recovery and Resiliency, South Shore beaches and bluffs "are more exposed to erosion and damage." The report called for shoreline protection "in vulnerable locations along the coastline." The City's 2015 OneNYC report listed "investments to improve low-lying shorelines across the city, including…the South Shore of Staten Island" as a coastal defense priority. In April 2016, the City announced the first phase of its $100 million Raised Shorelines initiative to shore up low-lying neighborhoods and "make the city safer during extreme weather."

Later in 2016, the City announced a resource reallocation to inject extra funding into the Build it Back housing recovery program. Reports indicated that some monies would be transferred from Raised Shorelines to Build it Back, but that other accounts would fill in the gap.

In addition to today's remarks, Congressman Donovan and Council Member Borelli sent the below letter to Mayor de Blasio inquiring about the Raised Shorelines program.

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