New York Will Avail $3M in Flood Recovery to Homeowners

(TNS) – New York will soon make $3 million available to help homeowners in eight additional counties affected by last month’s storms, which caused destructive flash flooding in the Hudson Valley and upstate.

Starting Friday, Aug. 11, homeowners who need help with emergency repairs of damaged property can apply for grants of up to $50,000. They must live in Dutchess, Putnam, Rockland, Westchester, Clinton, Essex, Hamilton or Ontario counties, and their household income has to be at or below 80 percent of the area median income. The size of individual grants will be based on the scope of emergency repair work needed and approved by local program administrators.

Wednesday’s announcement comes three weeks after Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled a similar program limited to Orange County homeowners.

“My administration feels for the families who were impacted by this recent storm, and I send my sincere appreciation to Governor Kathy Hochul and her team for remembering the residents who are still dealing with the aftermath of this,” Rockland County Executive Ed Day said in a statement. “We encourage residents who need financial support to apply for the assistance.”

The program is meant to help people who can not get help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Individual Assistance Program or other disaster recovery. President Joe Biden issued a major disaster declaration for several of the affected counties last month, unlocking FEMA aid that will mostly help local governments and some nonprofits.

Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne said that his administration is still “proactively sharing information with the state and federal governments to bolster our congressional representative’s efforts to bring back additional assistance from FEMA.”

The state Division of Homes and Community Renewal will oversee the $3 million Hochul announced Wednesday, which will be administered by several nonprofit organizations in each county. More information about the program and how to apply can be found online at hcr.ny.gov/ahc-flood-assistance-program.

“This additional funding will help to provide relief to even more New Yorkers impacted by these devastating floods as they work to repair their homes and return to their normal lives,” Gov. Hochul said in a statement. “My administration remains committed to assisting New Yorkers in any way possible as part of the recovery effort following last month’s historic storm.”

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