Building Congress Event
Construction Industry Breakfast Forum
New York Building Congress Forum Focuses on New York After Superstorm Sandy
More than 350 industry leaders and policymakers gathered on June 6 for a New York Building Congress Construction Industry Breakfast Forum that examined the government’s initial and ongoing response to Superstorm Sandy and explored ways to prepare the City to better withstand future emergencies.
The Forum featured the release of Risk & Resiliency After Sandy, a report of the New York Building Congress Task Force on New York City Storm Preparedness. The report from the Task Force, which was chaired by former Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch, concluded that Sandy exposed troubling vulnerabilities that threaten the City's long-term economic vitality and offered recommendations to address the vulnerabilities.
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During his presentation, Mr. Ravitch said that the Building Congress Task Force, which consisted of engineers, architects, contractors, developers, association and labor leaders, policymakers and academics, was “an extraordinary effort and a wonderful example of citizenship.” Mr. Ravitch said the most important priority identified by the Task Force was the need to harden the City's power grid and that federal emergency funds should be made available for this purpose.
Funding for the report was provided in part by the New York Building Foundation Hurricane Sandy Recovery Fund. ENR New York dedicated a portion of the proceeds from the advertising sales from the June edition to the Fund. During the program, Paul L. Bonington, Vice President, McGraw Hill Construction, presented Foundation President Richard T. Anderson with a check in the amount of $13,000.
For more on the report, go to http://www.buildingcongress.com/research/sandy/01.html.
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Leecia Eve, Deputy Secretary for Economic Development in the Cuomo administration, praised Governor Andrew Cuomo for his decision to call a state of emergency days prior to Sandy’s arrival. That decision, she said, set off a series of actions designed to evacuate residents and protect vital infrastructure and equipment from the oncoming storm. “Imagine what could have happened if that State of Emergency had not taken place,” she said.
She also said that Governor Cuomo is committed to cutting the red tape that might otherwise stand in the way of rebuilding. “This Governor will ensure that if it normally takes six months, we’ll do it in four. If it normally takes four months, we’ll do it in two.”
James S. Rubin, Senior Advisor to the HUD Secretary and the New York State Director of the President’s Task Force on Post-Sandy Rebuilding and Recovery, gave those in attendance an update on the federal response to the storm. He said that $50 billion has been allocated to the recovery and that close to $20 billion has already been distributed by a range of federal agencies. He also said that his task force will present a report to President Obama in August that will contain proposals to buffer the New York region from any future catastrophic storms.
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