FEMA In Oneida And Herkimer Counties Assessing Flood Damage
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be in Oneida and Herkimer counties this week to assess damage done by the 2019 Halloween flooding.
Congressman Anthony Brindisi's office has announced the presence of FEMA to see if the Mohawk Valley will be eligible for federal assistance for flood victims.
Brindisi released a statement ahead of the visit from the government association. He states,
I’m glad to see the state and FEMA heeded my bipartisan call to assess our region after the devastating floods. I welcome the assessment and hope we can continue to work together to get more resources on the ground. This is an important first step and I’ll continue to work with local, county, state, and federal agencies to try and make these communities whole.
The visit comes on the heels of a bipartisan call from Brindisi and NY-21 Republican representative Elise Stefanik for Governor Cuomo to work with FEMA to assess the state for potential disaster relief assistance.
In order for local communities to be eligible for the funding, the assessment being done by FEMA must reach a financial and damage threshold. The specific thresholds by county vary, but the state threshold is $29.6 Million.
Officials are encouraged to report their damages to county emergency services offices. Brindisi toured flooding earlier this month and has been attending community meetings throughout the affected area.