With the tri-state area reflecting on the one-year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, Town of North Hempstead officials are continuing efforts on several infrastructure projects to keep residents safe and informed in preparation for future natural disasters.
“The devastation of Superstorm Sandy left an indelible impact on the entire Northeast Region, including the Town of North Hempstead, and is changing the way we look at how we prepare ourselves for natural disasters,” said former Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman, who now chairs the Nassau County Interim Finance Authority and oversees Long Island’s Sandy recovery efforts as an aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a statement.
In Sandy’s aftermath, the town cleared more than 65,000 tons of landscape and construction debris in cleanup efforts, and crews began replacing the 5,000 trees that fell during the storm.
North Hempstead officials said the storm caused damage to sidewalks, curbs and gutters at approximately 300 sites throughout the town.
By the end of the town’s restoration process, North Hempstead officials said, more than 5,000 feet of sidewalk will have been repaired.
North Hempstead has so far received $7.3 million in recovery aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, with an additional $6 million approved for disbursement. Officials said the town could receive as much as $10 million from FEMA for repairs to North Hempstead’s park system and eroding shorelines, which were heavily damaged in the storm.
The town has also applied for an additional $86 million in aid as part of FEMA’s hazard mitigation program, to rebuild or repair shorelines, storm basins and seawells, as well as upgrades to the Port Washington town dock.
North Hempstead officials said improvements to the town’s communications systems is also crucial in preparation for future natural disasters.
The town sent daily automated phone calls to residents to update them on cleanup and restoration efforts, and received more than 37,000 calls to its 311 Call Center in the first two weeks after Sandy, officials said.
The town is currently in the process of creating a wireless network that would connect its three major emergency management locations – Town Hall in Manhasset, the department of public works yard in New Hyde Park and the community center in Westbury.
“Though the Town has the largest number of villages of any Township in the state, we can harness all of the resources of these municipalities by creating a seamless and dependable communication system so that everyone has the information they need, when they need it,” said Michael Balboni, the town’s emergency management consultant and former New York state homeland security chief, in a statement.
Officials said the network would overlap with the town’s current wired network, providing voice and data service to ensure the town does not lose the ability to contact constituents in the future, even during a power failure.
“Communication is of utmost importance during a natural disaster which was evident during Superstorm Sandy,” Kaiman said. “This wireless network enhances the Town’s ability to talk to its residents during emergency situations.”
