New York, NY – U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that N.Y.U. Langone Medical Center will receive approximately $114 million in federal aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the NYPD will receive approximately $75 million from FEMA Public Assistance (Category B Emergency Protective Measures).
“The city’s first responders and hospital workers put their lives on the line to take care of New Yorkers, and this first round of federal dollars is a down payment on making sure that at least their expenses are taken care of,” said Schumer. “It’s clear from these quick and substantial reimbursements that Administrator Fugate understands the scope of the damage to NYU medical center – nothing beats seeing the damage with your own eyes. It’s also readily apparent FEMA is at least beginning to understand the massive resources the NYPD put into storm response and preparation. These funds are just a down payment, and we will keep fighting until New York’s deep and broad needs are matched.”
“Our city hospitals suffered enormous damage while our NYPD officers were on the front lines before, during and after the storm to stand by their fellow New Yorkers,” said Gillibrand. “These necessary reimbursements are an important step as we continue the unified effort in Washington to fully fund New York’s needs for recovery and rebuilding.”
The funds for NYU Langone Medical Center will go to reimburse the hospital for emergency costs in the wake of the storm, including structural evaluation, electrical work, emergency equipment rental, temporary space, overtime, and medical necessities. FEMA awarded NYU Langone Medical Center $114,632,500. The Senators said that these funds were just the first tranche of aid coming to NYU and New York Hospitals.
The funds, the first federal reimbursement dollars to go to a New York City Hospital, comes after Schumer led FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate on a tour of the hospital shortly after the storm to underscore the deep needs of this critical facility.
When Superstorm Sandy hit the New York City area, NYPD officers assisted in rescue and security operations to protect residents. NYPD personnel assisted in evacuations, door-to-door checks on residents and distributed life-saving equipment to individuals who lost their homes and personal properties. Also, NYPD personnel assisted in restoring New York City to normal operations by removing fallen trees, regulating traffic and monitoring gas distribution.
FEMA has awarded $75,660,695 to the NYPD for overtime and compensatory time costs as a result of Superstorm Sandy. Twelve commands (Facilities Management Division, Support Services Bureau, Patrol Services Bureau, Housing Bureau, Transit Bureau, Organized Crime Control Bureau, Detective Bureau, Joint Terrorist Task Force, Emergency Service Unit, Aviation Unit, Harbor Unit, and Mounted Unit) conducted emergency protective measures to protect public infrastructure and equipment, life, health and imminent dangers to the general public.
Schumer and Gillibrand noted that this is not the final amount of funding for reimbursement work throughout New York City. Schumer and Gillibrand explained that they will continue to fight for the rest of the public assistance New York is entitled to.