Author: SARAH BRIJLALL

Life-long Hamilton Beach resident Vinny Taratella can no longer treat his first floor as his first floor. 

“It became my basement,” he said. “I had to build an additional floor to protect myself during floods.”

In this small Queens community that sits on Jamaica Bay and borders the western side of John F. Kennedy International Airport, flooding happens not just during so-called hundred-year storms like Hurricane Sandy, but consistently during very high tides. Yet residents feel forgotten by the city, especially when contrasted with the wealthier and more high-profile neighborhood of Broad Channel, where a $75 million project to raise the streets was recently completed.

Based on the 2020 American Community Survey, Broad Channel bears a median household income of $96,367. Its racial composition is classified as 93.4% White, 3.2% Hispanic or Latino, 2.2% Asian, and 1.2% two or more races. On the contrary, Hamilton Beach presents a slightly lower household income of $83,958 with a racial composition of 53.2% White, 26.8% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Black or African American, 4.4% Asian, and 2.6% two or more races. Housing prices in these areas also differ significantly, as Hamilton Beach’s median sale price is $543,000, whereas Broad Channel’s median sale price is $100,000 more. 

While Hamilton Beach has been struggling with obtaining relief for years, a $75 million infrastructure-upgrade project was completed for Broad Channel. The installment of storm sewers, water mains, new sidewalks, and curb ramps endorse flooding prevention and improve drainage in Broad Channel, yet Hamilton Beach is being overlooked. The socio-economic divide is transparent; Hamilton Beach is receiving the short end of the stick from the city.

An Army Corps project to install tide gates and flood-walls in the Hamilton Beach area is in the air as it is currently receiving public comment, but “if it’s approved, it won’t be completed until 2044” as stated by President of the New Hamilton Beach Civic Association, Roger Gendron.

When inquired about the flooding-relief discrepancy between Hamilton Beach and Broad Channel, Gendron offered that “the project for Broad Channel has been in the works for about 20 years”, whereas Hamilton Beach hasn’t been given attention because it is considered a peninsula and not an island, although he mentions that this does not mean Hamilton Beach has not been affected as much as Broad Channel. Gendron complained that there are no protections for Hamilton Beach and that “it is a difficult waiting game for the community”. 

President of the Broad Channel Civic Organization, Dan Mundy, states that his organization has been pushing for these projects since 2008; however, Gendron said that he started pushing for such projects in 2012 around the time of Hurricane Sandy. Mundy, said “it was a large community effort that was involved in the advocation”, and that elected officials would persistently urge in stating that flooding is an emergency that needs to be addressed. 

Mundy expressed that his organization is still fighting to get some streets raised in their area. He feels that his organization’s efforts have proven successful and that property values are increasing because of them, contrary to Hamilton Beach, where property values are decreasing.

Although, Vinny Taratella, a resident of Hamilton Beach, agrees that what has been done in Broad Channel is phenomenal, he conveyed that the Army Corps project needs to be sanctioned to protect the Hamilton Beach community from flooding. 

He disapproved of flooding insurance prices as he mentioned that they are costly, and he feels that the project would help ease them as well. “We have bills to pay and families to feed”, he emphasizes.

Taratella noted that he had to stop treating his first floor as his first floor, as it became his basement because he had to build an additional second floor to protect himself during floods and storms. Without any action from the city, disasters like Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Irene are destined to continuously occur. 

All things considered, it is evident that the effects of flooding on the residents of Hamilton Beach are going to be devastating, should a flood occur. Without the city’s protection, the community is not properly safeguarded.

Off the shores of Jamaica Bay in Queens lie Hamilton Beach and Broad Channel, both small communities experiencing tidal flooding. Induced by storm surges and other weather factors combined with high tides, tidal flooding raises water levels and floods coastal communities. The city of New York has made numerous efforts to safeguard the Broad Channel community from such predicaments, however, the responses that the Hamilton Beach community has received differ quite significantly. The difference in protective measures raises the speculation of tidal flooding being a socio-economic issue and how this issue would affect the extent of action that occurs within communities. 

Based on the 2020 American Community Survey, Broad Channel bears a median household income of $96,367. Its racial composition is classified as 93.4% White, 3.2% Hispanic or Latino, 2.2% Asian, and 1.2% two or more races. On the contrary, Hamilton Beach presents a slightly lower household income of $83,958 with a racial composition of 53.2% White, 26.8% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Black or African American, 4.4% Asian, and 2.6% two or more races. Housing prices in these areas also differ significantly, as Hamilton Beach’s median sale price is $543,000, whereas Broad Channel’s median sale price is $100,000 more. Based on the aforementioned statistics, the division of both communities in terms of socio-economic status is transparent; Broad Channel is on the higher end of the spectrum while Hamilton Beach is on the lower end. This socioeconomic difference is notable when considering that Broad Channel was able to have their streets raised, while Hamilton Beach is struggling with obtaining assistance. Broad Channel has been successful in obtaining the city’s help with a recently finished $75 million infrastructure upgrade project to improve the area’s drainage and prevent flooding during severe weather events by installing new storm sewers, water mains, sidewalks, curb ramps, and street resurfacing, yet, there are still no infrastructure upgrade projects in Hamilton Beach similar to the one completed in Broad Channel. There is an Army Corps project to protect the Jamaica Bay area from storm surges and floods which includes tide gates and flood-walls, but it is in the air as it is currently receiving public comment. 

I spoke with president of the New Hamilton Beach Civic Association, Roger Gendron, who informed me that if the Army Corps project is approved, it will not be drafted until 2025, construction will not be completed until 2030, and the project will not be completed until 2044. I inquired about Broad Channel having their streets raised while Hamilton Beach has yet to receive hurricane relief, and Gendron offered that the project for Broad Channel has been in the works for about 20 years, whereas Hamilton Beach hasn’t been given attention because it is considered a peninsula and not an island, although he mentions that this does not mean Hamilton Beach has not been affected as much as Broad Channel. Gendron complained that there are no protections for Hamilton Beach and that it is a difficult waiting game for the community. 

I also received insight from the president of the Broad Channel Civic Organization, Dan Mundy, who informed me that his organization has been pushing for these projects since 2008; however, Gendron said that he started pushing for such projects in 2012 around the time of Hurricane Sandy. Mundy said it was a large community effort that was involved in the advocation and that elected officials would persistently urge in stating that flooding is an emergency that needs to be addressed. Additionally, Mundy expressed that his organization is still fighting to get some streets raised in their area. He feels that his organization’s efforts have proven successful and that property values are increasing because of them, contrary to Hamilton Beach, where property values are decreasing.

To obtain a resident’s perspective on the issue of protective measures, I spoke with Vinny of Hamilton Beach. While Vinny thinks that what has been done in Broad Channel is phenomenal, he conveyed that the Army Corps project needs to be sanctioned to protect the Hamilton Beach community from flooding. He disapproved of flooding insurance prices as he mentioned that they are costly, and he feels that the project would help ease them as well. Vinny noted that he had to stop treating his first floor as his first floor, as it became his basement because he had to build an additional second floor to protect himself during floods and storms. Without any action from the city, disasters like Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Irene are destined to continuously occur. 

All things considered, it is evident that the effects of flooding on the residents of Hamilton Beach are going to be devastating, should a floor occur. Without the city’s protection, the community is not properly safeguarded. While it seems as though the different treatment of both Hamilton Beach and Broad Channel is a socio-economic issue, a definitive link can not yet be drawn, although I believe that it is an interesting perspective to consider. 

Residents of Jamaica Bay and the surrounding areas oftentimes experience the effects of the surging climate issues that surround them on a first-hand basis. It brings me to wonder how the government is dealing with such issues and how hard they are really working to lessen the impact on these neighborhoods. It also raises a socioeconomic lens in terms of the status of the communities being affected proportionately compared to those who live in better neighborhoods such as Broad Channel and have more power to get things done it seems like. It seems as though lower-income, less educated communities are often overlooked while more well-off communities are being heard and dealt with accordingly. May also be a race issue as well as more minorities tend to live in these communities where these issues are common.

In researching this topic, I plan to utilize news sites, statistics, join social media groups, talk with activists, and visit the area to also talk with community members. I am interested in the quality of life in different areas depending on status (income level and race) and how affected that community is by the environmental concerns around them. Statistics may include schools, housing prices, income, race, amenities, and response rate of first responders.