A giant apartment complex damaged by Hurricane Sandy will get a $33.5 million grant to help prepare for the next flood.

Floodwater poured into the interconnected basements of the 12 towers at Knickerbocker Village on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The shared boiler room three levels down was totally submerged by water that cut off electric power and caused a 20,000-gallon heating oil tank to tear loose from its piping. Built in 1934, the 12-story building totals 1,590 apartments, which are mostly low-income households.

The grant will pay for four emergency generators, new improved electric lines and watertight infrastructure across the development, through the City’s Dept. of Housing and Preservation Development’s Build it Back Multifamily Storm Recovery and Resiliency Program.

“HPD will continue to provide the critical assistance needed to make resiliency improvements that will leave New Yorkers feeling secure,” said HPD Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer.

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