Possible Storm Damage Help on the Way

Last week's snow storm caused damages in our area ranging from downed trees, to property damage, to lost business, to food spoilage from power outages.

Many residents and local businesses who suffered damage are holding out hope that the storm will be declared a Federal Disaster, through a Disaster Declaration for the Hudson Valley region. If that happens, financial aid may become available.

Impacted residents and businesses may qualify for special loan assistance from the Small Business Administration. These special loans are low interest and designed to mitigate storm, and other disaster, damage.

The federal aid can include municipality reimbursement for snow removal and for emergency protective measures, such as debris removal and police and fire overtime.  It can also include permanent work to repair damaged infrastructure.

Last year more than $878,000 in federal disaster aid was distributed to communities in nine New York counties that suffered damages from an ice storm the previous December.

To date this year, 14 states have signed Disaster Declarations for storm damage, including New Jersey. The most recent snow storm disaster declaration approved was for Iowa, which President Barack Obama approved on Tuesday.

The request for disaster designation must come from the Governor's Office – in our case, Governor Paterson - and is submitted to the President for approval. The governor's request is made through the regional FEMA office.

To justify such a declaration, state and federal officials must conduct a preliminary damage assessment (PDA) to estimate the extent of the disaster, and its impact on individuals and public facilities. This information is included with the governor's request to show that the disaster is so severe, or the unforeseen financial needs so large, that they cannot be managed by the state and the local governments alone, making federal assistance necessary. 

The Westchester County Office of Emergency Management is currently collecting damage estimates to formulate the storm impact statement, or PDA, to determine if damage was sufficient to meet the requirements for financial assistance. They are requesting Westchester residents' assistance, through submission of reports detailing damage suffered.

These estimates should include all uninsured losses, including insurance deductibles. For more information contact the Westchester Office of Emergency Services at (914) 495-9300.

Once this damage assessment has been completed, if the damage meets the requirements to qualify as a Federal Disaster, the declaration will be submitted to the President for approval. If approval is granted, it triggers the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Public Assistance program and assistance funds can be dispersed.

Mayor Walsh says that the likelihood of such a declaration being approved is unknown at this time, but urges residents to submit damage statements to assist with the Preliminary Damage Assessment.

Further information regarding the Small Business Administration assistance program for disaster damage can be found at http://www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance/index.html