Gov. Hochul declares Disaster Emergency for Suffolk County after torrential flooding

SUFFOLK COUNTY, New York (WABC) — Relief could be coming soon for communities and homeowners on Long Island devastated by record rainfall from last weekend’s storm.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order on Friday, declaring a Disaster Emergency for Suffolk County.

The major storm event resulted in severe flooding to homes, businesses and institutions, damaged roads and caused the breach of two local dams.

Hochul also announced that she will submit a request for a federal Emergency Declaration from President Joe Biden to help support response and recovery operations in the county.

The federal Emergency Declaration would allow FEMA to provide reimbursement for operational expenses like debris removal, sheltering, evacuations, search and rescues and actions to help mitigate the threat of storms on critical infrastructure.

“We are working around the clock to ensure that impacted residents and municipalities are able to rebuild after this devastating flooding event,” Hochul said. “Protecting New Yorkers is my top priority, and I am committed to supporting Long Island throughout the recovery process.”

The governor also announced emergency assistance to support homeowners in Suffolk and Nassau counties impacted by flash flooding. New York Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) is launching an emergency repair program, in which homeowners may be eligible for grants up to $50,000 to address health and safety-related repairs not covered by insurance or other disaster relief programs.

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine thanked the governor for signing the executive order as the county continues its recovery efforts.

“As we continue to assess damage and uncover the magnitude of this disaster, we are grateful for the state’s partnership as we will continue to work with all our partners to ensure our communities recover from this unprecedented weather event,” Romaine said.

Officials estimate that over 2,000 residents and business owners experienced flood damage in some capacity, and Stony Brook University had to relocate and shelter hundreds of students and completely cancel move-in day due to the amount of damage across the campus.

RELATED | Businesses in Suffolk County cleaning up after torrential flooding

The Department of Financial Services staff will be deployed to impacted communities to provide insurance help to residents and businesses.

They will be deployed to the following communities:

For more assistance with insurance information, you can call the Department’s Disaster Hotline at 800-339-1759. From August 12-30 the hotline will now include extended evening hours and will be open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. to help New Yorkers.

For flood insurance information, you can contact FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) at (800) 621-3362 or www.floodsmart.gov.

You find additional resources below:

For additional information on flood insurance, please visit the Flood Insurance Resource Center on the DFS website.

Keep Your Receipts If You Relocate During Repairs – If you need to temporarily relocate while your home is being repaired, make sure to keep receipts and other records of your expenses during that time.

Filing Complaints – Homeowners unable to resolve disputes with their insurers may contact DFS to file a complaint at the following website location. DFS investigates all complaints it receives.

Information on Homeowners’ Insurance – Additional information can be found at the Homeowners Resource Center on the Department of Financial Services’ website.

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