Important Notice: Apply for Flood Relief Now

The ongoing effort to recover and rebuild from the destruction of Irene and Lee continues.  Partnering with Governor Cuomo, I was pleased to support the creation of the New York State Flood Assistance Program this past December.

This important program is now up and running.  Now is the time to apply.

Empire State Development (ESD) will distribute up to $21 million to "businesses, farms and owners of multiple dwellings" whose properties were damaged by flooding, with grants of up to $20,000 per entity possible.

The application form can be found online http://www.esd.ny.gov/BusinessPrograms/FloodRecovery.html.

Applicants also can call (518) 292-5340 or email floodrecovery@esd.ny.gov.

The deadline to apply for this ESD funding is March 16.

An additional $9 million is being made available to counties to fund flood mitigation or flood control projects in waterways impacted by the storms.

Counties may receive Flood Mitigation Grants of $300,000 to $500,000, but the money can not be applied toward repairs already made.

According to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), eligible projects include: stream debris removal, gravel removal in or directly around bridges and culverts, stream bank stabilization and restoration, and culvert replacement.

The deadline for counties to apply is April 11.  Additional information may found at www.dec.ny.gov/lands/79243.html.