A second round of federal money — more than $1.3 billion — is headed to the city to help families and small businesses recover from Hurricane Sandy.
Another $2 billion in recovery aid will be sent to the state, said federal Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan. About 80 percent is earmarked for Long Island.
Mayor Bloomberg hailed the new aid, which follows $1.8 billion sent to the city.
“This second allocation is absolutely critical, but as you know, even this won’t meet all the city’s unmet needs,” he said.
A third round is due by the end of the year, coming from nearly $48 billion earmarked by federal officials for Sandy relief.
Officials promised at a news conference that the pace of federal aid would pick up. Only about one- fourth of the promised aid was committed in the first 10 months after Sandy hit.
“In Year One, we all agreed the aid flowed too slowly,” said Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY). “The second year will be a lot better. The spigot is now open.”
Bloomberg also welcomed the “very good news that a bipartisan group in Congress” is pushing legislation to delay changes in federal flood maps, which would have increased insurance rates for many residents.
Rep. Michael Grimm (R-SI/Brooklyn), a sponsor of the measure, said, “I have people showing me bills for $37,000 and change for flood insurance. That’s insane.”
“This bill is a big deal,” he said. “It gets to the heart of whether people can stay in their homes or not.”
Officials stressed that one year after the killer storm, the area is still staggering.
“The truth is that while many have begun the long road to recovery, Sandy is not over,” said Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-Manhattan/Brooklyn). “In fact, for some, the hard work is just beginning.”