U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded Chemung County public assistance to help rebuild and repair infrastructure damaged by tropical storm Lee. After this type of assistance was not made available in the President’s initial emergency declaration, Senators Schumer and Gillibrand immediately called for Chemung County to be added to the list of eligible counties. The county is now eligible for assistance for debris removal, emergency protective actions, and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities. Schumer and Gillibrand already helped secure individual assistance for Chemung County, and noted that this was another important step in making sure that Chemung County gets the help they needs to recover from Lee.
“We knew all along that Chemung County needed help to cope with the devastation left by tropical storm Lee. Now that FEMA has heeded our call and stepped up to the plate to make the necessary funding available, we can begin the process of helping repair and rebuild local infrastructure damaged in the storm,” said Schumer, who personally lobbied FEMA Director Fugate for both public assistance and the already granted individual assistance.
“This is great news for families and businesses in Chemung County in dire need of help to dig out from this devastating storm, and begin to recover,” Senator Gillibrand said. “Now it’s time to put all necessary resources on the ground where we need them to bring relief. I will fight to secure all the federal funding our communities need.”
Through the PA Program, FEMA provides supplemental Federal disaster grant assistance for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and the repair, replacement, or restoration of disaster-damaged, publicly owned facilities and the facilities of certain Private Non-Profit (PNP) organizations. The PA Program also encourages protection of these damaged facilities from future events by providing assistance for hazard mitigation measures during the recovery process.