Norwich — City-based construction firm F. William Brown LLC has been chosen as one of 11 companies nationwide to share in a $30 million project to protect small businesses in New York City from future storm damage.

Hurricane Sandy's effect on New York City when it hit the Northeast in 2012 was devastating, closing businesses, flooding the subway system, shutting down highway tunnels and causing an estimated $19 billion in damages.

The so-called Resiliency Innovations for a Stronger Economy competition, initiated by the New York City Economic Development Corp., was intended to leverage federal grants to make sure another storm like Sandy will result in fewer problems.

"Sandy was kind of the trigger for it," Russ Ellington, business development manager for the firm, said in a phone interview. "It's part of a small business resiliency initiative."

Ellington said William Brown's share of the project has not been determined. Work at between 12 and 18 sites will be done in Manhattan, Staten Island, Queens and Brooklyn, he added, over a period of at least a year.

"It's a sizeable contract," Ellington said. "It also gives us credibility and exposure in the largest market in the world. ... The potential is unlimited for this work."

William Brown, the exclusive New England dealer for flood-resistance products manufactured by Flood Panel LLC, was one of more than 200 applicants worldwide for the New York City project.

Ellington said Flood Panel recently came out with a new and improved version of its so-called dry flood proofing technique that provides a thinner, lighter weight system that is easier to deploy. These aluminum-based flood barriers are installed on any building openings, including doors and storefronts, when a storm is on the way, but otherwise are kept in storage.

The technique minimizes damage, Ellington said, so that business owners may only have to use a mop and bucket or a shop vac to clean up damage as opposed to seeing floors with 6 feet of water.

"In essence, it's 99 percent flood proof," Ellington said.

The Brown family has been in the construction business for nearly 70 years, starting with F.W. Brown in the late 1940s. Now in its third generation, Bill Brown Jr. owns the business, which has 12 to 14 full-time employees depending on the season.

l.howard@theday.com

Twitter: @KingstonLeeHow