Marie Ecker stands in front of her flood damaged home of 40 years in Oakwood Beach on Staten Island on February 5, 2013 in New York City. In a program proposed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York state could spend up to $400 million to buy out home owners whose properties were destroyed by Superstorm Sandy. The $50.5 billion disaster relief package, which was passed by Congress last month, would be used to fund the program. If the program is adopted, homeowners would be relocated and their land would be left as a natural barrier to help absorb future floods waters.