Tonight, Share Your Thoughts On Priorities For Post-Sandy Rebuilding In Red Hook And Gowanus

(photo credit: Steven Miller)

This is a topic of interest to all of us in South Brooklyn.  How should we rebuild our waterfront communities after last October's Hurricane Sandy?  Tonight,  Mayor Bloomberg's Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency (SIRR) is hosting a meeting at PS 58 to get input from residents on pst-Sandy rebuilding priorities for Gowanus, Red Hook and Sunset Park. You will find all the details on the meeting below courtesy of Councilman Brad Lander's office, who will be attending tonight.

Four short months ago, Hurricane Sandy brought unprecedented destruction to New York City. The storm made our shared vulnerability all too clear, and brought home the frightening reality of climate change.

Many are still struggling to recover, contending with extensive storm damage, mold, and rats. Over 2,000 families are still displaced, living in SROs and hotels (sign on here to our petition calling on HUD to immediately issue housing vouchers to let them move into apartments).

While there is much more work to be done to help these households and communities, we must also start planning for our city’s resilience in the face of future storms. We need to make smart investments in sustainable infrastructure, learn from places like the Netherlands that have worked to adapt to the realities of sea level rise and climate change, pay attention to the inequalities the storm exposed, and build upon the remarkable volunteer relief efforts by including communities more deeply in planning.

In January, the Mayor launched the Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency (SIRR), which is working to develop recommendations for rebuilding the most impacted neighborhoods and protecting New York City from future climate risks. This Thursday, March 7 at 7:30 pm, representatives from SIRR will present their initial assessment of the Brooklyn Waterfront, followed by break-out sessions where you can give your input on priorities for rebuilding in Red Hook, Gowanus, and Sunset Park. I will be there, to listen to their presentation and hear your comments.

Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Recovery

Brooklyn Waterfront Public Workshop

Thursday March 7, 2013, at 7:30 pm

PS 58, 330 Smith Street at Carroll Street

RSVP:  to RSVPMarch7@nycsirr.org or 212-618-5745