Meng to Bring Queens Flooding Victim to President Biden’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday
February 6, 2023
Congresswoman’s constituent will be her guest to bring more attention on the need to combat severe flooding in the borough
QUEENS, NY – To bring more attention on the need to combat excessive flooding in Queens, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) announced today that a flooding victim from the borough will be her guest for President Biden's State of the Union address on Tuesday night.
In September 2021, unprecedented flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Ida devastated Queens. Lives were lost and homes and property sustained extensive damage, and more rainfall over the past year caused additional flooding throughout the borough.
Meng will bring Allison Sesso to the President's speech. She is a long-time resident of Forest Hills whose house on Selfridge Street, which she had moved into two weeks before Ida struck, was severely flooded during the storm. Water filled her basement, and several feet of water also gushed into the first floor. It destroyed much of her home's interior, furniture, personal belongings and even a car, costing her well over $100,000 in damage.
"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. "After Ida, I visited affected constituents all across my district and saw the destruction firsthand. From tackling the impacts of climate change to upgrading local sewers and catch basins, this problem in our borough must be addressed, especially with the threat of more flooding occurring in the future. 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. I thank Allison for accepting my invitation to attend, and for sharing her harrowing ordeal."
"I am grateful for the diligent support of Congresswoman Meng," said Allison Sesso. "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. I look forward to seeing progress on these needed infrastructure improvements."
Sesso also works in Queens where through a nonprofit, she helps low-income families eliminate staggering medical debt.
President Biden is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address at 9 p.m. on Tuesday before a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
In Congress, Meng has worked to combat excessive flooding in Queens. After helping to pass the federal infrastructure bill into law in late 2021, she has constantly urged the city and state to provide Queens with a portion of the billions that New York received, particularly for improving sewers and catch basins so that they can handle rainfall produced by current storms.
In December, President Biden signed her legislation into law that authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers – in coordination with the City of New York – to spend nearly $120 million on upgrading environmental infrastructure in the borough, which include projects to help improve water and wastewater infrastructure, storm water management and combined sewer overflows.
Meng also joined the President when he visited Queens after Ida wreaked havoc on the borough.
In addition, the Congresswoman has urged the city to consider using millions in federal disaster funds to implement a voluntary buyout program for homes in Queens that are at risk of severe flooding during storms.