New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Red Hook Houses East and West, like many other Red Hook buildings, were built on land that was either originally underwater, or was a tidal marsh. The floods of Hurricane Sandy were a harsh reminder of this watery past, ruining the electrical and heating systems, among other damage, of the large housing complex. Groundwater also came up into NYCHA cellars for four days after Sandy according to a NYCHA maintenance worker, also a resident of Dikeman Street, who came into PortSide's Sandy Recovery Aid center in November 2012.

Resiliency plans for the Red Hook Houses were developed.  The maps here, from a KPF presentation about the resiliency upgrades, show the placement of the NYCHA houses in relationship to Red Hook's original coastline. 

An official update on the process is here.