Forest Hills Woman Impacted By Hurricane Ida To Attend Biden's SOTU

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — A Forest Hills woman who was severely affected by Hurricane Ida in 2021 will accompany Rep. Grace Meng to President Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday to highlight the ongoing flooding issues in Queens.

Allison Sesso, whose house on Selfridge Street flooded during the hurricane, will join the lawmaker in the President’s address to the nation on Tuesday night to bring attention to the excessive flooding issues throughout the borough.

“Queens residents need upgrades to our sewer systems that will prevent the loss of life, destruction of our homes, emotional anguish and financial uncertainty caused by increasingly common extreme rain events,” said Sesso in a statement.

Sesso moved into her Forest Hills home two weeks before Hurricane Ida struck in September 2021, filling her basement and first floor with water and destroying her home’s interior, furniture, and car. The losses totaled up to $100,000.

“Stories like Allison’s are heartbreaking and it’s something that many others living in Queens were forced to endure during Ida and other storms,” said Congresswoman Meng. “Having Allison as my guest will help keep a light shined on this urgent issue and further underscore the need for our city, state and federal governments to take action.”

In December, President Biden authorized the Army Corps of Engineers and the city to spend nearly $120 million on upgrading environmental infrastructure in Queens, which includes projects to help improve water and wastewater infrastructure, stormwater management, and combined sewer overflows.

The move came after lawmakers and residents asked the city for sewer infrastructure upgrades to prevent flooding and damage in the region. Queens was hit hardest by flooding and storm damage by Hurricane Ida in 2021, which left dozens of people dead in four states.