Staten Island [NY] hospital gets $28M in relief (Crain’s New York Business, NY)

Crain’s New York Business
(9/19/2014 10:56 AM, Barbara Benson)

Staten Island University Hospital is getting $28 million in federal Sandy relief to beef up its ability to combat future storms. Both campuses of the hospital are vulnerable to flooding and are located in Zone A, a designated evacuation area.

When Hurricane Irene hit, Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton was the only open hospital on Staten Island for a period of time. Both campuses of SIUH were evacuated for that storm. Flooding came within inches of the hospital during Sandy. SIUH is one of two hospitals on Staten Island, and has the borough’s largest emergency department and level-one trauma center.

The city’s contribution to the hospital will help fund a $40 million resiliency program. The hospital is elevating building power and mechanical systems (a cost of $35.3 million), installing sanitary holding tanks and backflow prevention ($1 million); and making wind resiliency and roofing improvements ($3.6 million).

In May, SIUH was awarded $12 million by the state under the Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. The city is tapping federal Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant Program- Disaster Relief funds to cover the $28 million.