Broome County Pushing FEMA for Individual Assistance
BINGHAMTON, NY - Broome County Executive Barbara J. Fiala says she is extremely disappointed in the federal government’s decision to so far deny local flood victims, hit hard by the November 16th storm, Individual Assistance. She says the county is in the process of gathering more evidence to support our community’s need for this kind of federal aid.
On Tuesday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that Broome County, along with 7 other counties, would be eligible for reimbursement for any money spent on emergency work and repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms and flooding.
FEMA, however, has not included Individual Assistance in its disaster declaration, which means individual property owners at this time will not receive financial assistance.
“We are extremely disappointed and frustrated in this decision not to include Individual Assistance for our local flood victims,” said Executive Fiala. “These residents have been through a very difficult ordeal. Their homes have been severely damaged and the cost of repairing their homes and properties, in many cases, far exceeds what these individuals and families can afford.”
Broome County is already in contact with State Emergency Management officials to enlist their help in convincing FEMA to include Individual Assistance for Broome County flood victims. SEMO representatives have indicated that survey teams will revisit the Greater Binghamton area next week to conduct a more extensive survey in order to bolster our case.
In the meantime, residents should continue to hang onto their bills as well as photos of any damage they sustained. They should also make sure their municipality knows they have damage so they can be accounted for in this process. For example, if someone lives in the City of Binghamton, they should call the City of Binghamton. If they live in the Town of Fenton, they should call the Town of Fenton.
The federal declaration did provide for Public Assistance which will provide funds for local governments and school districts to get reimbursed for repairs they have made to the area’s infrastructure. Early estimates indicated that municipalities in Broome County needed to expend more than $25 M in order to repair all of the damage from the November 16th storm alone.
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