Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy struck New York City on October 29, 2012, claiming the lives of 44 New Yorkers and causing unprecedented flooding across the city. The storm resulted in more than $19 billion in damage and lost economic activity, destroying or severely impacting thousands of homes and displacing approximately 150,000 residents.

Within two weeks of the storm, New York City established the Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery Operations (HRO) and launched Rapid Repairs, a first-of-its-kind emergency shelter-in-place program designed to provide essential repairs to homeowners left without heat, power, or hot water. Developed in collaboration with and funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Rapid Repairs enabled residents to safely remain in their homes during the storm’s immediate aftermath.

Rapid Repairs moved quickly to muck and gut damaged properties and restore basic habitability—an urgent priority given the onset of winter. In less than 100 days, the program restored heat, electricity, and hot water service to more than 11,700 buildings, encompassing over 20,000 housing units and serving approximately 54,000 New Yorkers.

One year after the storm, HRO launched the Build It Back Program to support permanent recovery for homeowners, landlords, renters, and tenants. Funded through Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) allocations from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the program represented a more than $2.5 billion investment in long-term housing stability and resilience. It offered multiple pathways of assistance, including rehabilitation or reconstruction of damaged properties, reimbursement for eligible repairs already completed, and acquisition of severely damaged homes. The program’s primary goal was to make Sandy-affected residents and communities safer and more resilient in the face of future storms and flooding.

Click at the left to learn more about HRO’s Sandy recovery programs.