Roughly a year and a half after the remnants of Hurricane Ida flooded the city, Eileen Bendoyro and dozens of New Yorkers who were among the hundreds displaced by Ida are still living in temporary shelter at the Millennium Downtown hotel in lower Manhattan.

“When all the water came inside, my son was stuck there inside the room,” Bendoyro said. “And he couldn’t open the door because the door was closed.”

Flooding from the storm destroyed the East Elmhurst apartment she shared with her son. Thier belongings were also destroyed.

“Our federal government and our city made a promise to them,” City Councilman Christopher Marte said. “They said we will make sure you return home or we will find you permanent housing.”

During a press conference this week, Marte accused Mayor Eric Adams of not making good on that promise.

According to the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development, after Federal Emergency Management Agency money ran out in 2022, the city is footing a $1.4 million bill to temporarily house families displaced by Ida at the Millennium Hotel until the end of February.

After that, the city will no longer cover the costs of the hotel rooms. Marte and families he stood in solidarity with at the press conference are demanding the city continues to pay for Ida flood victims to stay in the hotel until they find permanent housing.

However, it has been about a year and a half since Ida hit. When asked what is taking so long for the families to find permanent housing, Marte explained what he believes the problem is.

“From the stories I’ve heard from dozens of families, lack of communication, miscommunication, not following up with questions that these families have,” Marte said.

Bendoyro said she was offered apartments in Staten Island and Brooklyn. She also said she was shown apartments in Queens but they lacked certain things, like natural light.

“My job is in Queens. My son’s school is in Queens,” Bendoyro said.

The city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development told NY1 that Bendoyro has been shown 11 apartments and all eligible families have been shown one or more good, move-in ready apartments.

Additionally, of the 380 families who were placed into temporary shelter, the agency said about 300 families transitioned to permanent housing. About 70 families remain in temporary shelter.

“No family will be left to fend for themselves or without a place to go after leaving the hotels,” a Department of Housing Preservation and Development spokesman said. “We continue working to help them secure permanent housing and remain connected to other supports.”

However, the Adams Administration said the families can pay for the hotel rooms themselves come March or move into the city shelter system.

The city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development also said that once Ida flood victims find permanent housing, they are given a voucher by the city that helps cover the cost of rent.