Statement on the One Year Anniversary of Sandy

from President & CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Carlo A. Scissura

“It was a year ago that Hurricane Sandy hit Brooklyn’s coastline, leaving in its wake a path of unprecedented death and destruction. My staff and I walked through flooded streets across the borough and spoke with scores of business owners who had lost everything. The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce wasted no time in helping those business owners fill out loan and grant applications as well as navigate the process.

“Alongside our partners in City and State government – in particular NYC Small Business Services Commissioner Rob Walsh and Empire State Development President & CEO and Commissioner of the New York State Department of Economic Development Ken Adams – we were on the ground in Red Hook, Coney Island, Sheepshead Bay, Gerritsen Beach, Canarsie, and other neighborhoods that had been impacted.

“Thanks to the generosity of the TD Bank Foundation, we accepted a $200,000 grant to help establish the Citywide Neighborhood Entrepreneurship Project. The grant enabled us to help businesses grow across New York City – many of which were located in Sandy-affected areas like Red Hook and Sheepshead Bay – giving us the ability to empower local communities at a time when they needed it most.

“We are also proud to have partnered with Borough President Marty Markowitz and the Brooklyn Community Foundation to raise money for the affected areas in the borough, ensuring that help go directly to the neighborhoods and shopping districts that need it most.

“Over the past 12 months, many businesses in Brooklyn have rebuilt and reopened. Despite the progress, there is still work that needs to be done. Brooklynites are tough and resilient. We showed it in the days and weeks after Sandy and we will continue to show it as we rebuild bigger and better than before.”