HOLLIS, Queens (PIX11)- Homeowners in flood-prone areas of Queens are being told to let New York City officials know if they'd be interested in a potential government buyout of their homes.
The Resilient Acquisitions Program is being run by the Mayor's Office of Climate and Environmental Justice (MOCEJ). It's currently trying to gauge interest in Hollis and the Kissena Park area of Flushing.
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The website explains that the Mayor's Office of Climate & Environmental Justice will work with partner city agencies to use this information to evaluate homeowners' interest, determine which acquisitions are feasible, and develop strategies to fund acquisition projects.
The City may use this information to pursue resources to fund voluntary home acquisitions in neighborhoods where alternatives do not exist to mitigate flood risk.
George Lee, who lives in the Hollis home his parents bought in 1966, told PIX11 News he would sell to NYC "if the price was right."
He lives on a block that has flooded several times since two people died a few doors down in a basement apartment during Ida. Lee said several of his neighbors want to sell, but he added, "the real estate guy has to tell them the streets get flooded."
Leona Chin, who runs Kissena Synergy, has been handing out flyers to people she meets while cleaning out storm basins in the park. Chin told PIX 11 News, "Many people we've spoken to don't believe that it's even a possibility because they've been suffering since [Hurricane] Sandy, since Ida, since the cloudburst we've had over the last couple of years."
It is not clear where the Mayor's Office is seeking the funding for the Program or how much would be offered to homeowners to leave.
The Mayor's Office did not make anyone available for an interview Monday night for more information on the program.
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