Four Republican state senators and assembly representatives are calling on New York state to pick up more of the bill for Tropical Storm Debby flood recovery .
State Senator Tom O’Mara and Assembly reps Phil Palmesano, Marjorie Byrnes and Joe Giglio are urging the state to cover the local share of disaster-related costs, extend the deadline for impacted individuals to apply for direct state aid, eliminate the income threshold for primary residences to qualify for aid, and allow business owners to apply for state aid.
Earlier this month, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that eligible homeowners in Steuben and Allegany counties can now apply for emergency repair grants to fix damage caused to their homes by the flood. Funding up to $50,000 is available to help eligible homeowners repair their primary residence if insurance coverage, or other forms of disaster recovery funds, are not sufficient to return the home to a safe and habitable condition.
All households are eligible up to $157,800, or 150% of the County Area Median Income based on household size, whichever is greater.
Assistance is also available to repair public infrastructure after President Joe Biden on Tuesday approved Hochul's request for a Major Disaster Declaration for communities impacted by Tropical Storm Debby, paving the way for federal assistance to governments in 10 Southern Tier counties, including Allegany and Steuben.
Steuben and Allegany County's state reps are urging further, "comprehensive state direct assistance," including:
- fully assuming the local share of the disaster-related costs;
- eliminating the current income thresholds for primary residences;
- amending the current aid program to include businesses; and
- extending the current Oct. 7 deadline for applying for Emergency Repair Grant Funding for at least an additional 30 days until Nov. 7.
"We have been advised by Steuben County Officials and the Human Service Agencies that they are greatly concerned the deadline of Oct. 7 does not provide the residents who were devastated by the flooding enough time to get their information together and file an application," the state reps wrote in a letter to the governor.
"As you know firsthand , the communities impacted by the flooding are very rural and three weeks to gather all the required information and submit an application is simply not realistic. We strongly believe that the deadline for filing an application should be extended to a minimum of 30 days.”
The state legislators are also calling on the governor to establish “a long-overdue action to update and strengthen the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) permitting process that currently hinders the ability of local highway and public works departments, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and property owners, to undertake stream and streambank maintenance and repair.”
More: How to prevent the next Steuben County flood? Officials push for easier stream cleanouts
Allowing local governments and property owners to undertake "consistent streambank hardening and streambed clearing" would better protect against these disasters, said the state representatives.
This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Reps push for more flood relief for Steuben, Allegany County residents and businesses
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