Statement From Senator Patty Ritchie

Today, I received word that $20 million in assistance will be made available to those whose homes have been severely damaged, and in some cases destroyed as a result of record flooding this year.

Since the formation of the Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative Commission (REDI), and at numerous REDI meetings, I have strongly advocated for a portion of the announced funding to directly help homeowners, and I am pleased to learn my voice—and the voices of countless others who are being impacted by flooding—were heard.

In addition, I am also pleased that the REDI Commission will allow local governments to apply for funding that will make possible projects that protect against economic loss from home value deflation. This is another important step in the effort to protect shoreline properties from any future flooding.

I would like to thank Governor Cuomo, as well as REDI Commission co-chairs, DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos, ESD Chair Howard Zemsky and NYPA C.E.O. Gil Quiniones for recognizing how critically important it is to provide relief to property owners, many of whom who are still struggling to recover from 2017’s high water.

In recent months, I have visited homes on the shorelines of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. I have seen the devastation firsthand and talked with countless people who have watched everything they have worked so hard for be destroyed by floodwaters. It is my hope that this funding will provide them with the relief they so sorely need and I look forward to learning the full details of the relief program.