The Orange County Legislature on Oct. 6 unanimously passed a resolution opposing the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s recent denial of individual assistance to the July flood victims.
The resolution, introduced by Public Safety and Emergency Services Committee Chair Kevin Hines, calls for the state’s swift help to appeal the federal agency’s decision.
“Our residents face daunting financial burdens as they recover and rebuild,” Orange County Legislature Chairwoman Katie Bonelli said. “We stand strong and will continue to advocate for the Orange County residents impacted by July’s storm.”
In early July, historic rainfall flooded the west portion of the county, with the epicenter Highland Falls area receiving as much as nine inches of rain in a day.
By the end of the month, about 1,300 people called the county hotline to report flood damage, according to a recent Public Safety and Emergency Services Committee meeting.
Nearby counties, including Dutchess, Putnam, and Rockland, also suffered flood damage.
On July 22, President Joe Biden made a presidential declaration to designate the regional flooding as a major disaster, unlocking federal aid to local governments and eligible nonprofits to cover expenses such as debris removal, road and bridge repairs, and water system restoration.
However, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Sept. 26 declined to activate the much-called-for aid to individual flood victims, citing the severity of the damage not being enough to warrant such assistance based on information collected from days of field visits.
The basement of a laundry store on Main Street following a historic flood in Highland Falls, N.Y., on July 10, 2023. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times
According to FEMA, two primary factors determine the agency’s decision on individual aid: the state’s fiscal capacity and resource availability and the size of uninsured loss.
Other considerations include the effect on community infrastructure, the profile of the disaster-impacted population, and disaster-related unemployment.
New York state has 30 days to appeal the denial.
If enough additional damage information was provided during the appeal process, there’s a chance that FEMA might reverse the denial, according to the agency.
“We need Washington, D.C., to do its job and provide this much-needed aid to our residents, including many who are still recovering from the storm,” said Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus, who joined the Legislature in opposing the denial on Oct. 6.
New York state Sen. James Skoufis, a Democrat whose district encompasses most of Orange County, joined local elected officials on Sept. 29 to urge New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to appeal the FEMA decision and, at the same time, bump up the state assistance by another $3 million with no strings attached.
Ms. Hochol’s spokesperson Justin Henry told The Epoch Times on Oct. 10: “Governor Hochul is committed to helping homeowners impacted by flooding, which is why she launched a $6 million homeowner assistance fund in the immediate aftermath of the storm and applied for additional federal aid. We are disappointed with FEMA’s decision and are reviewing next steps.”
On July 18, Ms. Hochul made available a $3 million fund to assist Orange County flood victims who are homeowners with incomes at or below 80 percent of the area median; they must have also fully exhausted any insurance claims.
On top of the $3 million earmarked for impacted homeowners in Orange County, Ms. Hochul also made available an additional $3 million for seven counties outside Orange County in August.
Each eligible household can receive up to $50,000.
Rep. Patrick Ryan (D-N.Y.), whose district covers Orange County, urged FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell to reconsider the agency’s decision during a Sept. 20 Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee meeting.
“I want to thank you and the president for pushing to declare the disaster declaration and for working with a good team on the ground to start to get the public assistance flowing,” Mr. Ryan said to Ms. Criswell at the meeting. “But the No. 1 question that I hear still in our offices is ‘Why have we not received an individual assistance declaration?’”
Ms. Criswell replied that her agency considered not only the impact of the disaster but also how much the state should be able to do before coming to any decision on individual assistance.
Aside from the government, local nonprofits came to the flood victims’ aid, including Samaritan’s Purse, Team Rubicon, and the William Larkin Community Response Task Force Fund.
In August, the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors made available a $500,000 emergency fund to help Hudson Valley residents affected by the July flash flooding.
