Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called on President Trump to approve Governor Hochul’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration following the September 26 and 27, 2026 nor’easter that battered downstate New York. The storm brought coastal flooding and heavy winds to Long Island and New York City, resulting in increased expenditure of state and local resources to help communities recover from the disastrous conditions.
In a letter to President Trump, the senators underscored their support for Governor Hochul’s request for disaster relief, which would unlock Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) resources to help alleviate the financial burden that counties and the state took on to mitigate the impacts of the storm. Governor Hochul’s request included Public Assistance for Nassau and Suffolk Counties and Hazard Mitigation for the entire state.
The senators wrote, “We support the Governor’s request for Public Assistance (PA) for Nassau and Suffolk Counties and Hazard Mitigation for the entire State. We also support the inclusion of any additional counties that New York State believes meets the threshold for PA. Such a declaration under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (P.L. 100-707) would unlock crucial Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) resources.”
The senators continued by emphasizing the disastrous nature of the storm. They wrote, “The storm battered southern New York with strong winds and heavy rain, which combined with a full moon that exacerbated high tides, caused major coastal flooding and flash flooding. In addition to the flooding, gale-force winds felled trees and branches that damaged utility poles. During the storm over 200,000 New Yorkers lost power, of which over half were on Long Island.”
The senators concluded the letter by stressing the need for federal resources to help downstate New York recover from the storm. They wrote, “The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, in partnership with FEMA Region 2 and Nassau and Suffolk Counties, has documented and validated that the damage and costs from this nor’easter exceed the State’s threshold for a disaster declaration.Without federal support that a Major Disaster Declaration can provide, New Yorkers in Nassau and Suffolk Counties will lose a critical partner in their efforts to recover and prepare for future natural disasters.”
The full text of the letter can be found here.
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