FEMA cuts threaten flood mitigation projects in Queens: Borough President
QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) – FEMA cuts will threaten multiple flood mitigation projects in Queens, a borough hard-hit by Hurricane Ida, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said.
FEMA in April announced it is ending its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Program, a decision that will affect $300 million worth of projects in New York City.
More Local News
In Queens, the cuts will threaten three flood mitigation projects in East Elmhurst, Corona and Flushing, collectively worth $144 million, Richards said.
Elected officials have repeatedly raised alarm bells about the decision, Richards is again calling for FEMA to restore the funding, which will support new drainage systems and rain gardens to help absorb water during storms.
'Washington's anti-environment stance will have life-or-death impacts on our borough,' Richards said.
Elected officials have previously sounded alarm bells about the FEMA cuts, which would also threaten a $13 million project to protect a Hunts Point food distribution center from flood damage, according to Sen. Jessica Ramos.
More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State
The funding cuts will also affect projects in Seaport, Central Harlem, Sheepshead Bay, and Washington Heights, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced in April. These projects included floodwall construction, storm-related runoff infrastructure improvements, and other safeguards for heavy rainstorms.
Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter who has covered New York City since 2023 after reporting in Los Angeles for years. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Wegmans launches annual Scan Campaign for Midstate food banks
(WHTM) — Tonight's hometown heroes are spending a bit more at the grocery store. Wegmans has launched its annual 'Scan Campaign' to help Midstate food banks stock up for the summer. Customers are asked to donate a few dollars at checkout, as 100% of those proceeds will go each individual store's local food bank. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Former Beaufort mayor to receive highest award in S.C.
BEAUFORT, S.C. (WSAV) — A former mayor for the City of Beaufort will be crowned by South Carolina state representative Shannon Erickson with the highest award in South Carolina. Billy Keyserling will receive the Palmetto Award for his dedication to public service for over 50 years. Keyserling has worked on Capitol Hill, was a state legislature, a city councilman, reigned Beaufort for 12 years, and now runs two non-profit organizations. Keyserling told WSAV that he's received many awards in his lifetime, but this is one of the highest honors. 'I'm very excited about it. I'm honored. I'm humbled,' said Keyserling. 'I'm appreciative of Stacy Applegate, who basically, unbeknownst to me, started a campaign to talk to Representative Erickson and got a bunch of letters written by people I've worked with over the last 50 years. And I was selected to do it. So, I'd say honored, humbled and have a lot of gratitude for the people I've worked with over the years.' Keyserling said he chose to have the award presented at city hall, because that's the place he called his second home for many years and did some of his best work. The award will be presented on Tuesday, June 10 at Beaufort's city council meeting. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nevada woman sentenced to 10 years for $7M Ponzi scheme
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A federal judge sentenced a woman to 10 years in prison for orchestrating a $7 million Ponzi scheme and obstructing the government's investigation into it, a release from the Department of Justice said Monday. Anna Kline, formerly Jordana Weber, 35, of Sparks, Nevada, previously pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud. A federal judge sentenced her to 120 months in prison. The judge also ordered Kline to serve three years of supervised release and pay $3,403,000 in restitution. According to court documents, between April 2017 and July 2019, Kline owned and operated several shell companies that falsely offered lending services to customers, typically small business owners seeking high-value loans, often more than $100 million. As part of the scheme, Kline required that the victims pay up to 5% of the loan total amount as a 'fee' before it was funded. After the 'fee' was paid, Kline did not give the funding for the loan and gave the victims 'bogus' explanations for why the loans were delayed. Some victims were also given fake documents, including bank statements, that 'showed' the shell companies had sufficient money to fund the loan. During the scheme, Kline and her significant other used the 'fees' paid by the victim for their daily living expenses and numerous lavish purchases, including several luxury vehicles, high-priced artwork, and vacations. Some of the 'fees' were also used to pay back previous victims of the fraud. Documents show at least six victims transferred around $7 million to Kline. Kline was arrested on charges related to the scheme in July 2019. While released on bail, Kline provided the government documents that purported to be text messages from Kline's significant other, appearing to show threats toward Kline and insinuating that the partner was primarily responsible for the scheme. A forensic review of the document revealed it to be fake. Further investigation showed the Kline presented the fake report to a family court in California as part of a custody dispute between Kline and her partner. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
