Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded Orange County public assistance to help rebuild and repair infrastructure damaged by Irene. After this type of assistance was not made available in the President’s initial emergency declaration, and Schumer visited to tour the local damage first-hand, Senator Schumer and Senator Gillibrand immediately called for Orange 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 said that this was an important step in making sure that Orange County gets the help it needs to recover from Irene.
“I saw first-hand the massive damage wrought in Orange County by Irene and the floods that followed. We knew all along that Orange County needed FEMA Public Assistance to cope with the devastation left by Irene, which is why I personally called Administrator Fugate on it. 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.
“This is great news for families and businesses in Orange 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.”
Hurricane Irene inflicted serve damage on Orange County. Schumer personally pushed FEMA to grant public assistance to Orange County, in order to help local governments finance repair work for public buildings and various types of infrastructure.
Schumer and Gillibrand continued, “We will continue to advocate for Individual Assistance – and every other form of agricultural and small business relief – so our families, farmers and businesses can recover from the damage.”
Through the PA Program, FEMA provides 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.