She lost her husband and her daughter to Hurricane Sandy, and on Thursday Patricia Dresch got a chance for a new start in life by selling what remains of her home to the city.
“I’m happy to be moving on,” a tearful Dresch said when her obliterated Tottenville house became the first property acquired by the city under the federally-funded Build It Back program.
Dresch’s husband, George, and 13-year-old daughter, Angela, were killed during Sandy.
“Pat was knocked unconscious but miraculously she survived,” Mayor Bloomberg said during an emotional press conference at Staten Island Borough Hall.
The Dresch family decided not to leave their home, despite evacuation orders, because it had been burglarized during Hurricane Irene in 2011.
Dresch, 53, who has been living in the rectory of a local church, said she would use the money to buy a new home, away from the water, rather than try to rebuild.
“I lived here for 30 years,” she said, tearing up. “My family passed there.”
The purchase price for the land where Dresch’s home stood was not disclosed, but officials said it will be filed in public property records when the sale is registered in a couple of days.
“Pre-Sandy the assessed value might have been around $500,000,” a neighbor said.
The land will be sold to a developer under the condition that a new home be built on the site, with the profit used to help Sandy victims, officials said.
The city has access to $648 million in federal money to acquire, repair or rebuild storm-damaged property with the goal of preserving whole neighborhoods.
Nearly 24,000 people have registered for the Build It Back program.
“Temporary housing is not the answer for most people. They want to go back to their homes,” Mayor Bloomberg said. “Most people want to stay where they’ve been for a big chunk of their lives.”
Under federal regulations, at least 50 percent of a property has to be damaged for the owner to qualify for a city buyout.
Dresch’s neighbors were cheered by word that she was getting help to relocate.
“She’s completely alone now,” said one neighbor, who lives on the same block that Dresch did. “I’m happy she will finally have a home.”