Weekly Recovery Information Update: Aid for New York Flooding Hits $85 Million 

State and FEMA to staffing Disaster Assistance Service Centers

Release Date: August 19, 2006
Release Number: 1650-055

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ALBANY, N.Y. -- With deadlines for New York State and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster aid less than three weeks away, State and federal officials intensify their public outreach to ensure New Yorkers affected by the June severe storms and floods receive all eligible disaster assistance available.

Five Disaster Assistance Service Centers are open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at locations listed below:

Susquehanna Valley High School , 1040 Conklin Road , Conklin

Walton High School , 47 Stockton Avenue , Walton

Sidney Civic Center , 21 Liberty Street , Sidney

Town of Union Municipal Bldg., 3111 East Main St. , Endwell

Fort Plain Senior Center , 204 Canal St. , Fort Plain

Representatives from the New York State Department of Labor, the Empire State Development Corporation, New York State Emergency Management Office (SEMO), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will be on hand to meet with applicants who may have questions concerning their applications.

The FEMA registration deadline is Monday, September 1, 2006.

To register with FEMA, call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY: 1-800-462-7585 , 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily; or register online at www.fema.gov . The FEMA Helpline is the same number as the registration line at option 3.

Registration deadline for the New York State Individual and Family Grant Program is Wednesday, September 5, 2006.

To register for assistance from New York State , call 1 -888-7-NYS-AID (1-888-769-7243) or TTY: NYS Relay 711 ; or register online at www.labor.state.ny.us . The State lines are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mon. through Fri., and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. The State's helpline number is 1-888-329-7540. All applications for assistance must be postmarked by September 5, 2006.

Aid reaches $85 million

State and federal officials report that $85 million in disaster assistance has been approved for New Yorkers affected by the June flooding.

More than 12,000 persons have registered for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Included in the programs to assist flood victims are grants for temporary housing and other serious and essential needs not met by other assistance programs. More than $20.5 million has been approved for housing, and more than $4.6 million has been approved for serious disaster-related needs.

To date, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has issued approximately 11,087 applications for low-interest loans to individuals and businesses and has approved loans totaling more than $56 million. SBA makes these loans available to renters, homeowners, and businesses of all sizes.

FEMA and New York State join the SBA in urging New Yorkers to complete and send in the SBA application.

The SBA disaster loans are the primary source of long-term recovery aid.

FEMA's temporary housing assistance and grants for public transportation expenses, medical and dental expenses, and funeral and burial expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, an applicant must complete an SBA loan application to be eligible for assistance that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses .

New York State reports that approximately 10,300 applications have been filed by flood victims. The State has pledged more than $110 million to help homeowners, renters and businesses in the rebuilding of New York communities affected by the floods. The focus of the State programs is to cover the flood related damages not covered by insurance or federal programs.

To date, 12,218 have registered for FEMA assistance. The county breakdown is as follows:

County FEMA Registrations
Broome 4,185
Chenango 1,203
Delaware 2,436
Herkimer 597
Montgomery 697
Oneida 149
Orange 75
Otsego 1,369
Schoharie 78
Sullivan 602
Tioga 743
Ulster 84

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has funded a $3.3 million hazardous materials cleanup by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA).

EPA is coordinating the retrieval of hazardous materials left behind by the late-June floods with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Nearly 50,000 containers of household hazardous waste and other large containers of hazardous materials have been collected from flood-impacted areas.

FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.

Last Modified: Monday, 21-Aug-2006 08:29:24