Schumer Urges Feds to Reverse Decision Denying Extension of Flood Aid Through End of July

Schumer Urges Feds To Reverse Decision Denying Extension Of Flood Aid Through End Of July

Schumer Supports Governor Pataki's Request To Reverse FEMA's Decision Denying An Extension For Victims of Late July Floods

New Weather Report Show That Storms Were Related, Making Damage Related As Well

Currently, Only Those Requesting Aid From June 26 - July10 Floods Qualify For Flood Aid

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today urged the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to reverse the decision to deny an extension of the incident period for this summer's flooding. A recent report from the National Weather Service explains that the ground in affected counties was so saturated following intense rains during late June- early July that it simply could not handle another deluge. As a result, hundreds of homes, previously unaffected following the first round of storms, experienced widespread devastation as a new round of storms hit. If FEMA does not extend the incident period through July 31, 2006 many flood victims will be ineligible for aid.

"There is no reason to deny FEMA aid to those who are in dire need because of an arbitrary cut off date," said Schumer. "The information that National Weather Service released makes it clear that the first storm had a huge impact on the damage from the second round of storms. With the knowledge that these storms are related, FEMA must reverse this decision so that the flood victims from the later storm are eligible for aid too."

The initial denial from FEMA reasoned that the storms from June 26-July 10 and those from July 11-July 31 were unrelated. However, a recent report issued by the National Weather Service explains that the earliest storms were so severe that they directly intensified the flooding, and thus the damage, from the storms occurring after July 10th. The first floods to hit New York left behind excessively saturated soil and abnormally high river and stream levels. When the second wave of storms hit, a day later, the region could not sustain additional rain and flooding, making the damage even more severe.

The current incident period qualifies those who suffered flood damage during the June 26-July 10 storms for FEMA aid. An extension would lengthen this period through July 31, 2006, allowing more people who were affected by the late July floods to apply for aid. The storms from June 26-July 31, 2006 devastated 21 counties throughout upstate New York. The counties affected include: Broome, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Fulton, Greene Hamilton, Herkimer, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Orange, Otsego, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Schoharie, Sullivan, Tioga, Tompkins, Ulster, and Westchester Counties.

In a personal letter R. David Paulison, Under Secretary for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Schumer wrote, "Those living and working in the areas designated under the major disaster declaration are desperately in need of continued assistance. I urge you to reverse your prior decision and provide the citizens of New York the aid that they desperately need to rebuild their homes and lives."

http://schumer.senate.gov/SchumerWebsite/pressroom/record.cfm?id=262901&&year=2006&