If you are a resident or business in Montgomery County and have need of assistance, please contact the Montgomery County Emergency Management Office at (518) 853-4011
Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), State Emergency Management Office (SEMO) and the Montgomery County Emergency Management Office (MCEMO) are on the ground assessing the damaging from hurricane Irene and the aftermath of the floods.
I have been in contact with state and local agencies to move the process forward for Montgomery County as they seek a full federal disaster declaration for individual assistance. FEMA officials have stated that more counties will be added to the declaration as information from the ground is reported back. The initial expedited declaration was based on a snapshot from the air and will be amended to reflect damages.
Montgomery County is truly the epicenter of this flooding, with the confluence of the Schoharie Creek and Mohawk Rivers beginning in Fort Hunter. There is no denying that extensive damage has occurred and we will see to it that residents and businesses are able to access the aid that they require.
Montgomery County has been included in the Pubic Assistance and Hazard Mitigation declarations:
- Public Assistance (Assistance for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities): Albany, Bronx, Clinton, Delaware, Dutchess, Essex, Greene, Montgomery, Nassau, New York, Queens, Rensselaer, Richmond, Rockland, Schoharie, Suffolk, Ulster, Warren, and Westchester Counties. Direct federal assistance is authorized.
- Hazard Mitigation Grant Program: (Assistance for actions taken to prevent or reduce long term risk to life and property from natural hazards): All counties in the State of State of New York are eligible to apply for assistance under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
- Other: Additional designations may be made at a later date after further evaluation.
The public assistance granted today will reimburse communities for the costs incurred for debris removal and emergency protective actions taken in response to Hurricane Irene.