FOLLOWING DECADES OF ADVOCACY, SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND, BOWMAN SECURE $88 MILLION IN FUNDING TO BEGIN CONSTRUCTION OF THE MAMARONECK FLOOD MITIGATION PROJECT; REPS SECURE GAME-CHANGING 100% FEDERAL SHARE, AFTER DECADES OF DEADLY STORMS, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS IN DAMAGE, FINALLY PREVENTING FLOODS & SAVING LIVES

Statement

Following years of advocacy and a Schumer-convened visit to the Village of Mamaroneck to survey the hundreds of millions in damage caused by Hurricane Ida, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and U.S. Representative Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D, today announced that after years of fighting, the project being blocked under the Trump administration, and multiple direct calls by Schumer Gillibrand, and Bowman to top administration officials making the case for this project, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has heeded their calls and will provide $88 million in funding for the final design and construction of the Mamaroneck and Sheldrake River Flood Risk Management Project.

"After years of pressuring and pushing federal agencies, this wonderful news from the Army Corps and the OMB finally breaks the federal logjam on this vital project and frees up the vital 100% funding we secured to finally move to design and construction for the Mamaroneck and Sheldrake River flood prevention plan," said Senator Schumer. "I visited Mamaroneck the day after Hurricane Ida, another deadly storm in a pattern of far too many that devastated the community, and promised I would not stop fighting until Mamaroneck received the funding it desperately needed to protect its community. With today's announcement, I am pleased to know that promises made are now promises kept. I thank the Army Corps of Engineers, Army Civil Works, and OMB for heeding my call to approve the Mamaroneck project and finally starting the process to protect and rebuild the community that has suffered for decades because of severe flooding. I will continue to fight tooth and nail to see this project through to completion to ensure Mamaroneck residents have the flood protections and peace of mind they deserve."

"As New York continues to weather increasingly severe storms, the Mamaroneck and Sheldrake River Flood Risk Management Project will save lives, which is why I fought for its inclusion in the 2018 Water Resources Development Act when I was a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee," said Senator Gillibrand. "I visited Mamaroneck shortly after Hurricane Ida and saw firsthand the unprecedented devastation of the storm. I'm proud to have fought alongside Senator Schumer and Representative Bowman to overcome years of setbacks and secure this federal funding. I'll keep doing everything I can to make sure the project is completed in order to protect the residents of Mamaroneck from future extreme weather events."

"As we approach five months since Hurricane Ida devastated Mamaroneck, I am grateful that our relentless work to bring flood mitigation money into our community is finally happening," said Congressman Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D (NY-16). "After the Hurricane, I spent extensive time talking with families, assisting small business owners, and engaging community members as they tried to pick up the pieces of their lives. I vowed that their decades-old pleas for help would not go unnoticed any longer. Last fall, we saw an opportunity to include nearly $3 billion in new funding for disaster relief and resilience in H.R. 5305 and then worked with the Biden Administration to ensure that Mamaroneck was prioritized in this effort. This $88 million comes directly from our work on H.R. 5305, and our deep collaboration and partnership. With this funding, our community can finally move forward with flood mitigation efforts in Mamaroneck in a meaningful way. Still, I'm fighting for more. This is just one step forward on our path to prevent flooding and save lives from storms like Hurricane Ida, which are happening more frequently and getting stronger every time. The reality is that many of our neighbors were forced to evacuate, had homes that were destroyed, and some are still living in temporary housing because not enough flood mitigation resources had been brought into our community in the past. Myself and Senators Schumer and Gillibrand are changing that. We will continue to work in collaboration with federal, state, and local community advocates to make sure that we address the critical needs and ongoing challenges that our residents continue to face."

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