NYC Environmental groups, survivors plan protests and call for Green New Deal to commemorate Superstorm Sandy’s 10th anniversary

A decade has come and gone but the pain, heartache and the musty odor of mold remains.

Like many New Yorkers impacted by Superstorm Sandy, the devastation wrought by the wind and rain is more than just a memory for Donna Simbo. The mother of two is still suffering from health issues and dealing with ongoing mold and foundation problems in the Rockaways home she can’t return to.

“The situation is the house is unlivable,” Simbo told the Daily News.

The 55-year-old’s home was one of the nearly 70,000 damaged by Sandy 10 years ago as rain and flood waters inundated low-lying neighborhoods across the city.

After moving back in shortly after the storm Simbo developed an immune system disorder and struggled to keep up with the bureaucratic nightmare that was the city’s bungled Build It Back program.

Since 2018, she’s been living in a nearby rental as contractor after contractor attempts to clear her house, bought in 1999, of mold and other ongoing issues.

“So much they put me through,” she said. “I just want my home back. It’s where my children were born, where I raised them.”

The two-story semi-attached home, a stone’s throw from Jamaica Bay in Arverne, will be the site of a vigil planned by environmental advocates to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of Sandy on Oct. 29.

The gathering will follow a week of protests meant to raise awareness about how climate change is making storms like Sandy, which killed 43 New Yorkers, more severe and to push state officials to do more to address the issue.

“We really want to draw attention to two of the biggest crises that are facing us today in New York: the climate crisis and inequality crisis,” said Alice Hu, a climate campaigner and activist with New York Communities for Change.

Studies have shown that the destructive winds and deadly storm surge that slammed into the state and wreaked havoc on the city’s oceanfront communities was likely worsened by man-made climate change.

Last year, the Consortium for Climate Risk in the Urban Northeast found that simulations indicated approximately $8.1 billion of Sandy’s damages were attributable to human-caused sea level rise.

New York City again experienced records rains and flooding last fall when the remnants of Hurricane Ida inundated the five boroughs, leaving 13 dead.

The increase in deadly storms has prompted the city to ramp up efforts to overhaul outdated sewers and bring the city’s basement apartments up to code. Activists argue that progress has been slow and more needs to be done to draw attention to the seriousness of the issue.

“People will say that climate activists are radical and they’re doing really crazy, bizarre things in order to get attention,” Hu said. “But when you’re faced with the fact that we’re about to careen into climate catastrophe… the real radicals are those who continue to do nothing.”

Protesters plan to descend upon Park Ave. beginning on Tuesday, calling on Gov. Hochul to raise taxes on the rich and fund environmentally-friendly programs meant to cut pollution and carbon waste.

Supporters argue that a 5% tax on the top one percent in the Empire State could raise $10 billion annually. The groups say the funds could be used to help transition all buildings from fossil fuels to green energy, create thousands of union jobs, and subsidize affordable, energy-efficient housing.

Demonstrations and marches, organized by groups including Extinction Rebellion NYC, New York Communities for Change, Sunrise NYC and others, will take place each day leading up to the Sandy anniversary.

Environmental groups are also hoping to draw attention to several climate-related bills that stalled in the Democrat-controlled Legislature this year including a measure that would require all new buildings be fossil fuel-free.

A United Nations climate report released in April noted that an increasing share of carbon emissions can be attributed to cities, large towns and overall urbanization.

Another bill, the Build Public Renewals Act, would authorize the New York Power Authority to build, own, and operate more renewable energy projects and get the state closer to goals set out in 2019′s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

The bill passed the Senate but stalled in the Assembly. Lawmakers hosted a hearing on the measure over the summer, sparking hope among supporters that it will be revisited when lawmakers return to Albany in January.

The CLCPA commits New York to reaching 100% zero-emission electricity by 2040 and a reduction of at least 85% below 1990-level of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The demonstrations next week will target not only elected leaders but also corporate headquarters for companies such as Blackrock, the world’s largest investor in coal production.

Park Ave. will serve as the focal point of the week-long protest to highlight the divide between the city’s wealthiest residents and everyday New Yorkers like Simbo who are still struggling in the wake of Sandy.

“People are still suffering and the climate is going to make it worse and worse for others for each disaster coming,” Simbo said.

Voters, meanwhile, will have a chance to weigh in on New York’s climate focus on Nov. 8 as a proposed $4.2 billion dollar environmental bond act is on the ballot.

The proposal will give the state the ability to borrow funds for major environmental projects, including $1.1 billion for flood risk reduction, coastal rehabilitation and shoreline restoration projects across the state.

Another $1.5 billion will be dedicated to climate change mitigation including zero emission school buses, reducing or eliminating air or water pollution in “environmental justice” communities.