Nearly 10 years after Superstorm Sandy damaged communities across the city, local leaders announced the completion of a project that will mitigate flooding in Canarsie.

The Fresh Creek Shoreline received $14 million in renovations to protect the most at-risk sections along the creek. The outfall was reconstructed to hinder the flow of water into the creek during extreme weather.

The Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery joined elected officials to announce that the flood protection project is complete after a year of construction.

New tide gate chambers were installed along the creek to allow the existing drainage system to function more efficiently. 

One resident says the project has been a long time coming.

“Sandy was just the tip of the iceberg,” said Maria Garrett, president of the Fresh Creek Civic Association. “That just gave more people a look at what we've been going through. All you saw was trees, power lines was down, cars floating, and the next day it was a disaster area."

Now that these renovations are complete, elected officials say that residents in the area are no longer complaining about flooding issues. They hope that remains the case during heavy storms in the future.