The head of the city's Build It Back program to help New Yorkers rebuild after Hurricane Sandy says it is boosting the economy.
The head of the program testified before the City Council's Committee on Recovery and Resiliency on Monday.
Job creation is a requirement for federal funds given to the program
About $3 million of storm recovery funds have gone toward worker training and job creation.
In many cases, residents impacted by the storm have gone to work rebuilding the communities where they live.
"We have over 1,000 people, 1,110 people employed because of those Sandy-impacted residents, employed because of Build It Back," said program director Amy Peterson.
Build It Back has come under fire in recent weeks because it is $500 million over budget and will miss a deadline imposed by Mayor Bill de Blasio to finish all storm-related construction by the end of the year.