NYC Buys 1st Sandy-Damaged Home

New York City announced on Oct. 10 its first purchase of a home damaged by Superstorm Sandy, acquiring property from a Staten Island woman whose husband and daughter were killed during the historic storm.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the purchase, which is part of the city’s “Build it Back” program that uses federal funds to offer homeowners the option to repair or leave property that was severely damage during last year’s storm.

Patricia Dresch shared her Tottenville home with her husband George and their son 13-year-old daughter Amanda.

The walls of their home gave way when the storm hit, and George and Amanda were pulled under the surging tide.

“I couldn’t go back down there anymore,” said Dresch. “That was it, my family passed there. I’m saying goodbye to something I’ve loved for 30 years.”

The city did not reveal how much it spent to purchase the home.

Bloomberg said more than 25,000 New Yorkers have signed up for the program but it’s unclear how many want to sell their homes. The state government is also offering an acquisition program, but it will turn the property it buys into open space or parkland.