Shortly after Hurricane Sandy struck last October, Gov. Cuomo traveled to battered Long Beach, where he vowed that we’re not “going to just rebuild, we’re going to rebuild better than ever before.”
It turns out that by “better,” the governor meant “smarter.” That’s the gist of his plan to spend up to $400 million to buy homes in dangerous flood zones likely to be inundated again — and then raze them and leave the property vacant. The money would come from the $51 billion federal-aid package for Sandy relief.
In his State of the State speech this year, the governor put it this way: “There are some parcels that Mother Nature owns.”
We’ll have to see the details, but the governor’s plan strikes us as an excellent way to save lives and dollars. Right now, many people have beachfront homes in areas vulnerable to flooding. They’re encouraged to do so by a federally subsidized flood-insurance program that has itself fallen billions into the red because of Hurricane Katrina.
Now, if people want beachfront houses where they can’t get private insurance, that’s their business. It becomes the public’s business when folks from Austin to Astoria are asked to subsidize that choice.
Let’s be clear: This is not to scoff at the real tragedy so many of our communities have endured. It’s understandable that many people won’t want to leave homes that have been in their families for decades, no matter how generous the offer.
But others, looking at the depressed prices for their properties and having dealt with serious floods before, may be eager to take advantage of an offer to sell based on the pre-hurricane full market value.
In short, Cuomo’s plan offers a way out for those hit hardest by Sandy while taking taxpayers off the hook for people’s private housing decisions. It’s one of the few uses of taxpayer dollars that may actually save money in the long run.