U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten E. Gillibrand today announced over $2 million of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance funding for the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (NYCHHC), which will reimburse the cost of owned and rented generators to provide emergency backup power at Bellevue, Coler- Goldwater Hospital due to Superstorm Sandy.
“Several of New York’s major public hospitals were devastated by Superstorm Sandy and needed emergency backup power to provide critical health care services to patients,” said Schumer. “With this funding, Bellevue Hospital, Coney Island Hospital and Coler-Goldwater Hospital will be reimbursed for the generators they needed to get these hospitals back up and running after Sandy.”
“Our city hospitals, which suffered enormous damage, provided emergency power during and after the storm to aid New Yorkers,” said Gillibrand. “This critical reimbursement is a critical step forward as we continue to meet New York’s needs to recover and rebuild.”
Bellevue Hospital and Coler-Goldwater Specialty Hospital are part of HHC. Bellevue Hospital evacuated over 700 patients after Superstorm Sandy. The hospital was without power because fuel pumps for the backup generators were damaged after the basement was flooded. Coney Island Hospital evacuated over 200 patients after Superstorm Sandy and the severe flooding in the basement destroyed the hospital’s electrical system. Over 500 elderly and disabled patients were without power at Coler-Goldwater Speciality Hospital for days after Sandy.
FEMA is providing $2,014,562 in federal funding to HHC hospitals like Bellevue Hospital, Coney Island Hospital and Coler-Goldwater Hospital for over 2,123 hours of use of applicant-owned generators and rental of two generators to temporarily restore power to the hospitals that lost power after Superstorm Sandy.