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Washington, D.C. - With parts of Broome County suffering from severe flooding after a day of very heavy rain, Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today made an urgent appeal for New York Governor George Pataki to immediately request a Major Disaster Declaration from President Bush, which would clear the way for emergency federal funding. Heavy rains caused flooding throughout parts of Broome County, damaging homes, businesses, roadways, and other infrastructure.
"Unfortunately, Broome County is once again on the receiving end of a severe storm that has damaged the area and left it in need of significant financial assistance to recover," Hinchey said. "As we continue to work to help the region recover from the major flood in June, we now need to obtain additional assistance to also deal with this recent storm. The first step in getting federal assistance is to have the governor request aid from the president, which is why I am directly appealing to Governor Pataki for his assistance. Federal aid would help pay for infrastructure repairs as well as support to individuals and small businesses."
A Major Disaster Declaration from President Bush would enable the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to offer broad assistance to communities affected by the floods. FEMA would be able to assess the damage, offer financial support through aid and loans, as well as provide counseling for those affected by the flood.
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The full text of Hinchey's letter to Pataki follows:
November 17, 2006
Honorable George E. Pataki
State Capitol
Albany, New York 12224
By Fax and Mail: (518) 474-1513
Dear Governor Pataki:
I am writing to urge that you immediately request from the federal government a Major Disaster Declaration for Broome County due to the severe flooding that occurred throughout the region over the past 24 hours. As I'm sure you're aware, many of these areas are contending with overflowing rivers and streams, washed out roads, mudslides, and significant damage to both personal and public property. Broome County declared a state of emergency yesterday and individual municipalities within the county are struggling to cope with the fallout from yesterday's tremendous rainfall. Broome County is still recovering from massive flooding that occurred in June and is in no position to absorb additional burdens associated with responding to this new challenge. The county has informed me that more than 60 homes have been damaged and more than $20 million in damaged has occurred to local infrastructure due to yesterday's severe storm.
It is imperative that Broome County receive federal assistance in order to deal with the damage and property losses left in the wake of the heavy rains and flooding. I hope that you will quickly mobilize an aggressive response to this situation by the State Emergency Management Office and request a Major Disaster Declaration from the president in the most expeditious manner possible. As you know, this declaration will enable residents and local municipalities to access the assistance they need through the Federal Emergency Management Agency as well as other federal agencies, allowing the process of repairing and rebuilding to begin as quickly as possible.
I thank you in advance for your assistance to our impacted communities as they struggle to deal with the serious flooding and resulting damage. Please do not hesitate to contact me at my Binghamton District Office if I can be of any assistance to you.
Sincerely,
Maurice D. Hinchey
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