During a city council hearing about the Build It Back program on March 31, city staffers answered for the federally funded, city-run disaster relief program’s slow response and poor outreach. At the same time, staffers offered some insight into the numbers the controversial program has served thus far. According to a Housing and Urban Development analysis of Federal Emergency Management Administration data, the unprecedented storm damaged 62,230 households in New York City. As of March 26, 2014, the Build It Back program has achieved the following results:
Single-Family Program
19,985 applicants registered
5,176 withdrew or were unresponsive
13,888 had initial meetings
9,464 underwent damage inspections
3,182 had option meetings
634 selected an option
152 began design
6 began repairs
Multi-Family Program
978 applicants registered
278 withdrew or were unresponsive
554 completed applications
383 underwent damage inspections
60 started environmental review
4 selected contractors
3 started work while awaiting payment
