Assemblyman Lancman
Denounces City's Refusal To Compensate Queens Homeowners For Sewage
Flooding
Assemblyman Rory I. Lancman condemned the City's callous decision not to
compensate Queens residents whose homes were damaged by flooding caused
by the City's negligence.
"The City has known for years of inadequate sewer infrastructure and
regular, widespread flooding, and the City must take responsibility for
failing its most basic municipal obligations -- to keep raw sewage from
flowing into people's home when it rains. Why was Mayor Bloomberg
focusing all of his time on building baseball stadiums and pushing for a
basketball arena in Brooklyn and a football stadium in Manhattan, but
doing absolutely nothing for residents of Queens whose homes and streets
are flooded when it rains? How come the mayor didn't use one cent of
federal stimulus money to improve the sewer and drainage system in
Queens? It is outrageous that the City will not only not fix this
problem, but actually refuses to provide restitution for those who have
had their homes damaged. The Mayor claims to represent all New Yorkers,
but he has completely forgotten our borough," said Assemblyman Lancman
in a statement.
Assemblyman Lancman made his remarks in response to an announcement by
the City that it would not be paying compensation for those whose
property was damaged in the 2007 summer floods that affected Queens.
The City's decision came after years of community pressure and despite
numerous warnings about flooding in the area.
Assemblyman Lancman has long advocated for the residents affected by
recent flooding in Queens and has had his own home flooded by untreated
sewage during a summer rainstorm. Earlier this year he joined with
other Queens leaders to press Mayor Bloomberg to use federal stimulus
money to improve drainage infrastructure and prevent future floods:
http://www.nyad25.org/stimulusfornequeens.htm
In the Spring of 2008 Assemblyman Lancman organized a meeting between
residents and the City's Department of Environmental Protection to make
officials aware of how serious the flooding situation was:
http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=025&sh=story&story=26238
In 2007 Assemblyman Lancman testified before the City Council's
Environmental Protection Committee about the sewer system's inadequacy
and consequent flooding:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6JvN25QtOc
