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Updated: Nov 25th, 2007 - 10:09:00 |
Weekly Recovery Information Update: New York Flood Aid Tops $98 Million, Registration Deadlines Extended To October 2
Release Date: August 26, 2006
Release Number: 1650-066
» More Information on New York Severe Storms and Flooding
ALBANY, N.Y. -- State and federal emergency management officials remind New Yorkers that the registration deadlines for all state and federal assistance have been extended.
October 2, 2006 is the new deadline for all programs.
Families, individuals, and business owners who were adversely affected by the late June severe storms and flooding have received more than $98.9 million in assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Small Business Administration, and the State of New York.
Current statistics:
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$21.2 million has been approved through the FEMA Housing Program, part of the FEMA/State Individuals and Households Program (IHP). Housing assistance provides grants to renters to find alternate housing. Homeowners may receive grants to make the home livable or, if that cannot be done, grants are given to rent alternate housing. The program is funded 100 percent by FEMA.
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$5 million has been approved for the FEMA/State Other Needs Assistance Program (ONA), another part of the IHP, provides grants for lost personal property, transportation, medical, dental and funeral expenses to those who have serious and essential needs unmet by other assistance programs.
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$64.4 million in low interest disaster loans has been approved for homeowners, renters and business owners by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Low-interest loans may be available to renters, for personal property and automobiles, and homeowners, to repair or replace disaster damaged real estate or personal property, at terms as low as 2.973 percent. Businesses of all sizes may be eligible for a loan up to $1.5 million for terms as low as 4 percent. An SBA low-interest disaster loan is the primary source of federal funding to help those affected return to pre-disaster conditions.
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$8.3 million has been paid out to 1,970 victims who have applied for New York State 's Individual and Family Grant program.
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$3.3 million was awarded to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for hazardous materials cleanup in the affected counties.
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12,621 individuals have registered for assistance with FEMA.
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14,131 visits have been made to the FEMA/State Disaster Assistance Service Centers (DASCs). The centers offer disaster victims an opportunity to meet with representatives from FEMA and the State of New York to get answers to their disaster recovery questions.
Currently, two DASCs are open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the following locations:
Susquehanna Valley High School , 1040 Conklin Road , Conklin ( Broome County )
Sidney Civic Center, 21 Liberty Street , Sidney ( Delaware County )
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 at the DASCs to meet with applicants who may have questions concerning their applications.
President Bush's disaster declaration of July 1 enabled residents and business owners in Broome, Chenango , Delaware , Herkimer, Montgomery, Oneida , Orange , Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan, Tioga and Ulster counties to register for federal recovery aid. To register, New Yorkers who suffered damage by the June floods need to make two phone calls for assistance:
They should first contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY: 1-800-462-7585. Lines are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., daily. You can also register online at www.fema.gov. The FEMA Helpline number is the same as the registration number: 1-800-621 FEMA.
For the New York State Individual and Family Grant Program, call 1-888-7-NYS-AID (1-888-769-7243) or TTY: NYS Relay 711. Lines are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. New York 's Helpline is 1-888-329-7540 (open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Saturday). For Empire State Development Corp. programs, call 1-800-STATE-NY.They can also register online at www.labor.state.ny.us, and www.empire.state.ny.us/flood_grant.
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.
The county breakdown for the 12,621 individuals who have registered with FEMA for assistance is as follows:
| County |
FEMA Registrations |
| Broome |
4,279 |
| Chenango |
1,269 |
| Delaware |
2,590 |
| Herkimer |
630 |
| Montgomery |
707 |
| Oneida |
171 |
| Orange |
77 |
| Otsego |
1,430 |
| Schoharie |
84 |
| Sullivan |
625 |
| Tioga |
766 |
| Ulster |
93 |
Hazardous Materials Cleanup . The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has funded $3.3 million for 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.
Mitigation Outreach. The State Emergency Management Office (SEMO) and FEMA, in partnership with local home supply stores, are providing outreach teams to assist people with mitigation and disaster assistance information.
The teams are available until August 28, 2006, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily except Tuesday at the Home Depot Stores in the following cities:
Oneonta at 659 State Highway 28
Johnson City at 798 Main St.
Monticello at 4050 State Route 42
Teams will be available August 30 through September 4, 2006, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily except Tuesday at the following stores:
Amsterdam , Lowes, 4825 State Highway 30
Vestal, Lowes, 225 Sycamore Street
Utica , Home Depot, 545 French Road
Specialists from FEMA will be on hand to explain techniques that can lessen damage to homes, businesses and property from future flooding. How-to information for retrofitting buildings and elevating utilities will be available as well as brochures about the National Flood Insurance Program.
Aid Enough for All. Reports indicate that individuals may not be registering for disaster assistance because they feel others need it more. Federal and state officials assure New Yorkers that there is enough disaster assistance available for all victims of the June 2006 floods who qualify. They should go ahead and register for assistance and not rule themselves out.
Tax Break. New Yorkers who live or operate businesses in 12 counties may be eligible to claim federal income tax refunds from the Internal Revenue Service if they suffered uninsured losses due to the late June floods. Homeowners and businesses with qualifying casualty losses from the June flooding may file an amended return for 2005 in order to receive a refund.
