This week, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8) and Assemblyman Nick Perry (AD-58) announced the addition of Canarsie, Marine Park, Mill Basin, Bergen Beach andGeorgetown to the NY Rising Community Reconstruction Program.

The program provides funding for rebuilding and redevelopment assistance to communities that were crippled by Superstorm Sandy and Hurricanes Irene and Lee.

The Marine Park, Mill Basin, Bergen Beach and Georgetown communities received $4,383,732 in funding and Canarsie received $11,944,036 toward restoration and infrastructure protection.

“I applaud Governor Cuomo for including Canarsie, Marine Park, Mill Basin, Bergen Beach and Georgetown in the NY Rising Community Reconstruction Program, which involves residents in the development of infrastructure reinforcement plans in our most vulnerable coastal communities,” said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. “The initial decision to exclude the Canarsie neighborhood and surrounding communities was an omission contrary to the facts on the ground. The inclusion will allow local residents to determine how best to protect our community from future extreme weather events.”

The program, supported by a combination of State and Federal funding from the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013, empowers residents to draft recovery plans, determine reconstruction projects and create locally-driven storm resiliency planning and implementation. Currently, 102 communities across the state are already part of the program and share $570 million in federal Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funding.

“Our unrelenting efforts to make certain our constituents in Canarsie were not once again victims have paid off. Along with Rep. Jeffries, I will continue to work tirelessly to insure that those many Canarsie families affected by Sandy receive the relief they are entitled to,” said Assemblyman Nick Perry.

Many South Brooklyn neighborhoods were hard hit by Superstorm Sandy. The Canarsie, Marine Park, Mill Basin andBergen Beach communities are adjoined by multiple bodies of water which caused severe flooding, considerable destruction and further damaged the sewer infrastructure. Hundreds of home and business owners were displaced for months.

The NY Rising Community Reconstruction Program is part of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s recently announced “Reimagining New York for a New Reality,” a $17 billion strategy that will transform the state’s infrastructure, transportation systems, energy supply, coastal protection, weather warning system and emergency management to better protect New Yorkers from future storms.