As a congressional delay put into potential jeopardy a $60 billion in federal aid to rebuild from superstorm Sandy, leaders tapped by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo are scheduled to issue recommendations Thursday for how the state should spend some of the money.
Three commissions have been reviewing ways the state can better prepare and respond to future natural disasters like Sandy, which cut a path of devastation in and around New York City when it struck on Oct. 29.
One of the panels, the NYS 2100 Commission, has the mission to find ways to harden infrastructure in the face of future emergencies. Co-chaired by Rockefeller Foundation President Judith Rodin and Felix Rohatyn, the group released a preliminary report in late December. Its recommendations haven’t been previously reported.
The 170-page-long preliminary report was general in its outline of dozens of ideas for preparations, said one commissioner familiar with the document. It included no cost estimates for some proposals likely to be expensive.
But New York stands to receive billions of dollars from the federal government if House lawmakers pass an aid package to help with rebuilding. President Barack Obama supports the measure, which had already passed in the U.S. Senate before House Speaker John Boehner delayed the vote on Tuesday night.
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