SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND, RICE ANNOUNCE NEARLY $13 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDS FOR HARDENING OF SANDY-DAMAGED INFRASTRUCTURE FOR LAWRENCE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT ON LONG ISLAND, NY
Funding Will Be Used to Repair the Damaged Pipes of the Lawrence High School Building
U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and U.S. Representative Kathleen Rice today announced that the Lawrence High School Building in Nassau County, NY, has been awarded $12,948,307.94 in federal funds for building repairs as a direct result of Superstorm Sandy. The federal funds are administered through U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The funding will be used to fix and replace piping in the high school’s basement, as well as reimburse the school for the repair of a water main outside.
In 2012, Hurricane Sandy caused significant damage to the Lawrence High School building. Flood levels reached approximately 8 feet above the floor in many locations, resulting in damage to the piping system throughout the school. The flooding was a combination of water, sewage, and salt water, which caused significant damage and progressive deterioration to the school’s property.
“Delivering federal funds such as these are crucial to repairing the damages caused by Superstorm Sandy’s devastating storm surge and are essential to fortifying our critical infrastructure against future weather events. With these funds, the Lawrence Union Free School District and Lawrence High School will be one step closer to their pre-disaster function and capacity,” said U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. “These federal funds will help make Lawrence High School’s infrastructure stronger than before, without leaving local taxpayers and the school district on the hook for these expenses.”
“This grant is great news for the Lawrence Union Free School District, which will be able to finally repair Lawrence High School’s piping system that was damaged by Hurricane Sandy,” said U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “Our students deserve safe and fully-functional school facilities that can also withstand the next big storm, and I will continue to work to make sure our communities have the resources they need to fully recover from the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.”
“The Lawrence High School community has worked tirelessly to recover from Superstorm Sandy and get students back into their classrooms,” said U.S. Representative Kathleen Rice. “I’m grateful that these federal funds have come through to support their efforts to rebuild, and I’ll keep working with school officials in my district to ensure they get the resources they need to make their schools stronger and more prepared to withstand future storms.”
“Lawrence is looking forward to this funding that will continue to allow us to improve the conditions for teaching and learning,” said Dr. Ann Pedersen, Superintendent of Lawrence Union Free School District.
“The Lawrence Union Free School District wishes to thank Senators Schumer and Gillibrand of New York for their invaluable assistance in obtaining FEMA funding for major repairs of damage sustained by Lawrence High School during Super Storm Sandy .Their efforts will insure that future generations of our children will be able to be educated in a safe, storm resilient state of the art facility,” said Murray Forman, Board of Education President for Lawrence Union Free School District.
FEMA provided this funding through its Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), which provides grants to states and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after a major disaster declaration. The purpose of the HMGP is to reduce the loss of life and property due to natural disasters and to enable mitigation measures to be implemented during the immediate recovery from a disaster. The HMGP is authorized under Section 406 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.
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