GOV PUSHES FOR ‘MAJOR DISASTER’ AID
Calls on Biden for FEMA funds to help state build ‘resiliency’ to endure floods
New York State is seeking additional federal funding to help people dislocated by the remnants of deadly Hurricane Ida under a document signed Sunday by Gov. Hochul.
She called on President Biden to designate last week’s storm a “major disaster,” opening up cash for measures like temporary housing assistance, unemployment help, home repairs, legal services and crisis counseling.
Speaking at a news conference at her Midtown offices, Hochul cited a state assessment finding the vicious storm caused at least $50 million in damage, noting the figure is likely to go up.
Hochul also said she’s “identified” at least $375 million in funding that will go toward “building back resiliency” in the most vulnerable parts of the state.
She promised to work with local officials on targeting where the money will go.
“I’m operating under the assumption that this could happen again in another 10 days,” Hochul said, echoing a sense of disbelief among many New Yorkers who were hit by two major storms in less than two weeks. On Aug. 21, Tropical Storm Henri also drenched the Northeast.
“Let’s hit a baseline that we can handle a certain level [of flooding] with infrastructure improvements,” she added.
Biden approved an emergency disaster declaration for New York State on Friday, after devastating flooding from Ida claimed 13 lives in New York City alone. That freed up as much as $5 million in federal funding.
A “major” declaration enables the feds to send much more funding to the state, according to Hochul.
Saying at least 1,200 homes statewide were damaged by the storm, Hochul said some of the federal funding could help individuals rebuild.
The storm made landfall as a hurricane in Louisiana on Aug. 29. It was downgraded to a tropical storm as it made its way to the Northeast, where more than 50 people drowned in their homes and cars.
“It felt like a humanitarian crisis in another country, and this is the state of New York,” Hochul said.
In New York City, 11 victims died in flooded basement apartments — all but one
of them in illegally converted units.
Mayor de Blasio on Friday promised evacuations and travel bans the next time a major storm hits, although local lawmakers want to know why the city government and MTA weren’t better prepared for Ida. The City Council is planning to grill agency officials at an upcoming oversight hearing.
Along with boosting protection against flooding, Hochul called for a “better warning system” in “multiple languages.”
“People in Asian communities, in Hispanic communities … may not have even understood the warning,” she said. “Let’s get people understanding the challenges earlier.”
De Blasio on Sunday spent about an hour visiting La Adelita restaurant in Woodside, Queens — one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods.
Cynthia Iglesias, who runs the business with her mother, said the family had to get replacements for a fryer and freezer on credit because they couldn’t afford to stay closed. The kitchen was in the restaurant’s flooded basement.
“What’s going to be the solution to avoid having this situation?” Iglesias, 30, said to the Daily News. “I can’t stop the business. I have to continue doing something because the bills keep piling up.”
She estimated that knee-deep flooding from Ida caused up to $5,000 in damage.
“I need to know how we can be prepared for the next time, we lost so much from COVID,” she added.
The mayor’s office barred members of the media from observing Hizzoner’s confab inside La Adelita.
“We’re going to help them, because clearly they need to help with their landlord, and they need help with some of the city rules,” de Blasio told reporters afterward, adding the city would get a $3,000 loan to La Adelita.
He also encouraged businesses to “reorient at least some things away from basements.”
“If climate is changing things, ... some of the things we learned from [Hurricane] Sandy now apply to small businesses,” the mayor said. “We have to figure out a strategy now to both support that encourage that, find some way to help fund it if we can.”
Iglesias said she was speaking on behalf of “all the small businesses” during her chat with de Blasio.
“I’m hoping. I have to hope,” she said. “We are all going through the same thing.”