Some On Staten Island Opt For Buyout Of 'Houses That Don't Belong'
Staten Island's Fox Beach neighborhood used to be a working-class area with about 180 homes, mostly small bungalows. Fox Beach is — or rather was — a few hundred feet from the Atlantic Ocean, and after Hurricane Sandy hit in 2012, homeowners decided their neighborhood was dangerous in terms of natural disasters and too expensive because of the rising cost of flood insurance.
So the state has been tearing down the homes.
Bill Bye's home at 16 Kissam Ave. was a recent one to go.
"The insurance would be too high, the property tax, everything would be too high," Bye says.
A backhoe nibbles away at his house, bit by bit, using its shovel first to knock the roof boards loose, pluck away the gutter and nudge the brick chimney. Within an hour, the whole thing comes down.
Franca Costa, who lives next door, is staying — at least for now.
"I don't know if they are offering me enough money, where I could buy something else for us. The guy down there moved into a studio. I don't want to do that once I've owned a house," she says. Costa is one of only a few holdouts left.
'Houses Don't Belong Here'
It's not just because of Sandy. This is wetlands. It floods in heavy rains and is barely above sea level. In hot weather, wildfires break out.
"If you look at what we are in the midst of right here, you realize houses don't belong here, period" says Joe Tirone, who has convinced New York state to buy out whoever wanted to sell. "It's insane to think this is what it looked like 30 or 40 years ago and someone said, 'I can build some homes here.' "
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo embraced the buyouts and devoted $600 million of federal Sandy relief money to the project. That'll cover roughly 750 homes, not just here in Fox Beach, but in other sites on Staten Island and on Long Island as well. The buyouts aren't cheap, but environmentalists say they're well worth it.
"The problem is a national problem. Population in coastal counties is increasing. Taxpayer subsidies for flood insurance is increasing. More property and more lives are at risk now along the coast in terms of endangerment and future storms than perhaps ever before," says Eric Goldstein, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
The idea of buyouts, or retreating from flood-prone areas, took root about 20 years ago. Government agencies calculated that in some cases it would cost less money than repeatedly bailing out homeowners for every flood.
"Living along the coast and having an ocean view is very enticing. Unfortunately, there are some coastal areas where that is problematic," Goldstein says.
On Staten Island, where more than 40 homes have been torn down so far, the buyouts not only are removing people from dangerous areas — they are also creating open space that will act as a buffer to blunt the force and absorb some of the water of the next storm surge.
"It should be actually a rather peaceful place where you could come and walk and view wildlife. I think there is real potential here," says Rebecca Sinclair of the New York governor's Office of Storm Recovery.
In Fox Beach, nature is already returning. The reeds have grown more than 10 feet tall in places. People see deer, herons and hawks regularly. The former residents have moved upland to higher ground, sometimes just a few blocks but far enough back to be out of harm's way for the next storm.
9(MDE1MTIxMDg0MDE0MDQ3NTY3MzkzMzY1NA001))
Transcript
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
Now the NPR Cities Project explores how communities are rethinking their proximity to water in light of rising seas.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: We have to make sure that our cities are safe.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #2: How are we going to maintain the city?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #3: Location, location, location.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: If other cities can do it, we can do it.
CORNISH: When a hurricane causes severe damage to a city, it often raises the question of whether people should've be living in the worst affected areas in the first place, and should they then be allowed to return? For some in New York City, nearly two years after Hurricane Sandy, the answer to those questions is no. In Staten Island, the state is tearing hundreds of houses down. Here's Matthew Schuerman of member station WNYC.
MATTHEW SCHUERMAN, BYLINE: I'm here in the Fox Beach neighborhood, a few hundred feet from the Atlantic Ocean - or rather, the former Fox Beach neighborhood. This used to be a working-class area, roughly 180 homes, mostly small bungalows, far away from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan. But for the past year, the state has been tearing down these homes. The latest to go, as you can hear behind me, is number 16 Kissam Avenue. Bill Bye used to live there.
BILL BYE: It's a strong roof - was a strong roof, I should say.
SCHUERMAN: After Hurricane Sandy hit in 2012, Bye and other homeowners decided their neighborhood was dangerous and increasingly expensive.
BYE: The insurance would be too high, property tax, everything would be too high.
SCHUERMAN: The backhoe nibbles away at the house, bit by bit, using its shovel to first knock the roof boards loose, pluck away the gutter, nudge the brick chimney. Within an hour, the whole thing comes down. The woman, who lives next door, Franca Costa, is staying, at least for now.
FRANCA COSTA: I don't know if they're offering me enough money where I can buy something else for us. I mean, the guy down there moved into a studio. I don't want to do something like that once I've owned a house.
SCHUERMAN: Costa is one of only a few holdouts left. It's not just because of Sandy. This is wetlands. It floods in heavy rains and is barely above sea level. In hot weather, wildfires break out.
JOE TIRONE: If you look at what we're in the midst of right here, you realize houses don't belong here.
SCHUERMAN: That's Joe Tirone. I talked to him a little ways down the street, where workers are removing the cement slab of another house. He organized the neighbors and convinced New York state to buyout whoever wanted to sell.
TIRONE: It's insane to think that this looked like this 30 or 40 years ago and someone said oh, I can build some homes here.
SCHUERMAN: The governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, embraced the buyouts. He's devoted $600 million of federal Sandy relief money to the project. That'll cover roughly 750 homes - not just here in Fox Beach, but at other sites on Staten Island and on Long Island as well. Environmentalists say the money is well worth it.
ERIC GOLDSTEIN: NRDC, how may I direct your call?
SCHUERMAN: To ask why, I went to the headquarters of the Natural Resources Defense Council. It's in Manhattan, about 15 miles from Fox Beach. Eric Goldstein is a senior attorney.
GOLDSTEIN: A the problem is a national problem. Population in coastal counties is increasing. More property and more lives are at risk now along the coasts in terms of endangerment and future storms than perhaps ever before.
SCHUERMAN: The idea buyouts, or retreating from flood-prone areas, took root about 20 years ago. Government agencies calculated, in some cases, it would cost less money than repeatedly bailing out the same homeowners for every flood.
GOLDSTEIN: Living along the coast and having an ocean view is very enticing. Unfortunately, there are some coastal areas where that is problematic.
SCHUERMAN: Back on Staten Island, where more than 40 homes have been torn down so far, the buyouts are not only removing people from dangerous areas, they are creating open space that will act as a buffer to blunt the force and absorb some of the water of the next storm surge. Rebecca Sinclair works for the New York State governor's Office of Storm Recovery.
REBECCA SINCLAIR: It should be actually a rather a peaceful place where you could come and walk and view different wildlife. I mean, I think there's real potential here.
SCHUERMAN: Here in Fox Beach, nature is already returning. The reeds have grown more than 10 feet tall in places. People see deer, herons and hawks regularly. The former residence that moved upland to higher ground, sometimes just a few blocks but far enough back to be out of harm's way for the next storm. On Kissam Avenue in Staten Island, I'm Matthew Schuerman for the NPR cities project.
CORNISH: And you can follow the City's Project on Twitter @NPRCities. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
300x250 Ad
300x250 Ad