The effects of Superstorm Sandy can still be felt at the Gravesend Houses in Coney Island six years after the hurricane hit, but renovations to the complex are now underway thanks to a $164 million investment in federal funds.
Joy Sinderbrand, vice president of NYCHA's Recovery & Resilience Department, says the work will replace everything damaged by Sandy, as well as put back together the complex "in a thoughtful, resilient way."
A total of 15 roofs in the complex will be replaced. Each will have four layers of insulation and concrete to make sure water does not pass through. The sides of buildings will be reinforced.
Under a new layer of brick, construction workers are redoing the development's storm-damaged electrical and plumbing systems. They'll soon replace the decades-old boiler, which will be 16 feet above sea level.