Staten Island Residents Ask for Superstorm Sandy Buyouts

More Staten Island residents who suffered big losses during Superstorm Sandy have asked the state of New York to buy their damaged homes.

The South Beach Civic Association tells the Staten Island Advance that 132 homeowners from the neighborhood have submitted paperwork saying they want to participate in the state’s buyout program.

New York officials have already begun the process of purchasing large numbers of homes in the nearby Oakwood Beach and Ocean Breeze neighborhoods.

The communities were all built on wetlands that have flooded repeatedly since people first started building houses there.

Civic Association President Joe McAllister says some of those areas should be returned to nature.

A spokeswoman for the state’s Office of Storm Recovery said the state looks forward to reviewing the proposals.