Disaster Management · NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation
Hurricane Sandy Disaster Recovery Management
FEMA award, the largest under the 428 program
Days to stabilize the hospitals
Saved for the Corporation
Days to reopen the Bellevue and Coney Island ERs
On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy’s storm surge flooded New York City’s streets, tunnels and subway lines and cut power across the city. It was the deadliest and most destructive hurricane of the 2012 season and the second-costliest in U.S. history, at about $75 billion in damage.
The surge badly damaged the city’s major medical institutions. NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation’s Bellevue Hospital Center and Coney Island Hospital were evacuated after multiple electrical and mechanical systems failed. Each facility needed its own logistics, building assessments, vendor and contract management, historic-property and environmental review, and project-management strategy.
BASE Tactical President John Levy was responsible for the second-largest FEMA award ever and the largest under FEMA’s 428 program: $1.7 billion to repair and protect New York City’s hospitals. He advised officials on emergency repairs and stabilization, and our team stabilized these facilities in fewer than 100 days, saving the Corporation more than $20 million.
How the recovery unfolded
- Phase 1
Temporary operations & remediation
In the weeks after the storm we found locations for displaced operations and staff, and directed the contractors who pumped millions of gallons of blackwater out of flooded hospitals. Bellevue and Coney Island reopened their emergency departments in 101 days. Neighboring hospitals took nine months.
- Phase 2
Repair estimates, FEMA scope alignment, environmental & special projects
Successful outcomes start with a qualified expert opinion. We helped select the experts who set facility repair costs, which became critical to making sure FEMA’s Public Assistance teams captured every cost. We then trued up FEMA’s estimates so the right scope and dollars were obligated in the project worksheets, including codes and standards and hazard mitigation.
- Phase 3
Construction management
We managed rehabilitation of the hospitals, covering architect selection, Public Improvement requirements, quality control and completion dates. Each project had its own timeline built around the facility’s use, sustainable upgrades, cost and insurance requirements, plus a contingency plan.
- Phase 4
Hazard mitigation
We provided mitigation engineering and program support for the damaged facilities. Coney Island Hospital sustained $200 million in damage and is receiving over $900 million in restoration and mitigation funding. Bellevue incurred about $200 million and is receiving $500 million, including new elevators. Proposals we developed for two more facilities secured a combined $300 million.
