Hochul says infrastructure, drainage systems partially to blame for Ida destruction

Local officials believe some of the deaths and destruction caused by Hurricane Ida are a result of infrastructure problems.

News 12 Staff

Sep 2, 2021, 9:55 PM

Updated 959 days ago

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Police say 12 New Yorkers died in residential basements during the remnants of Ida, and it’s possible they may have drowned.
In Woodside, a 2-year-old boy, alongside a 48-year-old woman and a 50-year-old man, were found dead in the floodwaters.
Late Wednesday evening in Elmhurst, police found an 86-year-old woman in the water at a home on 84th Street.
News 12 investigative reporter Sabrina Franza looked into the buildings to see if there were any long-standing complaints or violations that could have been resolved before tragedy struck.
None of the six addresses News 12 found had any outstanding complaints.
Gov. Kathy Hochul addressed the state, with Mayor Bill de Blasio nearby, saying the flood issues will not stop unless we can address our crumbling infrastructure.
"Before we were worried about the coastal areas, now it's about what’s happening in the streets...The drainage systems that need to be enhanced and all the resiliency you can bet. Because of climate change, unfortunately this is something we’re going to have to deal with, with great regularity," said Hochul.
News 12 has been in contact with numerous departments, as well as trying to contact each landlord individually for answers about what went wrong, and is still waiting to hear back.


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