Letter to Acting FEMA Administrator Robert Fenton - Be Ready to Quickly Approve Disaster Declaration for Upstate New York Counties Hit by March Snowstorm

Letter

We write in strong support of communities across upstate New York that were recently impacted by the severe snowstorm. New York State is currently in the process of assessing the damage, and should that damage meet a level where the state requests a major disaster declaration, we urge you to swiftly implement the federal programs activated by the approval of the request. We also urge FEMA to stand ready to participate in a Preliminary Damage Assessment with the state and local officials, should the state request it. Finally, in evaluating any requests from the state for a disaster declaration, I urge you to consider the damage suffered in central and western New York from the severe windstorm on March 8. Communities were only just beginning to tally the damage from the windstorm--and some residents had only just had their electricity turned back on after several days in the dark--when the Rochester region received more than two feet of snow, making the recovery process much more difficult.

On March 13, New York declared a state of emergency across all 62 counties in the state in advance of a snowstorm that produced record snowfall in some parts of upstate New York. While the forecast predicted snow for the entire state, with the heaviest snow on New York City and Long Island, the brunt of the storm ended up being felt further north and west, and plows, National Guardsmen, and other assets had to be re-deployed to different locations once the storm hit. Some areas in Dutchess and Broome Counties saw a record 31 inches of snow in a single 24-hour period, making the streets very difficult to plow and resulting in an extended county-wide travel ban. During the storm and the immediate aftermath, normal daily activity came to a standstill, as schools were closed for days, and business, and government offices were shuttered, while local and country DPW crews worked around the clock trying to clear roadways to make them navigable. Parts of the Mohawk Valley were hit by nearly three feet of snow, with snowfall rates approaching six inches per hour in some areas during the peak of the storm. Many school districts were closed and there were reports of motorists forced to abandon their cars on roadways. New York State and local officials are still evaluating the extent of the damage, but it is expected that the total costs will be substantial, between overtime for plow drivers, sanding the roads, and repairing other general damage across the area.

As costs continue to mount for municipalities, federal assistance from FEMA could be vital. We are grateful for the prompt attention that the federal government has historically given to quickly responding to disasters impacting New York State. In that spirit, we strongly urge you to support any forthcoming requests for FEMA assistance as New York recovers from this storm.?

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