More Than $700,000 Delivered to Brooklyn Residents to Recover from August Tornado

[Washington, DC] – Nearly 900 Brooklyn residents have receive more than $700,000 in federal disaster assistance to recover from the August tornado that ripped through Bay Ridge and caused damage to local homes and businesses Congressman Vito Fossella announced today.

With the deadline for filing a claim for federal assistance expiring last Friday, November 16, Fossella reported that 866 residents were approved for assistance and received a total of $711,629 dollars in aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or the Small Business Administration (SBA), according to the agencies. Additional cases are still pending. A total of 576 residents received in-person assistance at the Disaster Assistance Support Center (DASC) in Brooklyn.

Fossella said, “It demonstrates the level of damage in Brooklyn that nearly 900 residents were approved for federal disaster assistance. This has been a difficult time for many residents who have been forced to make repairs to and clean-up their damaged homes and small businesses. It was important that the federal government step in and provide help to all those in need. I am happy to have helped play a role in making sure that FEMA and SBA were here to help families recover from the tornado.”

On the day of the tornado, Fossella toured damaged areas of Bay Ridge and other parts of Brooklyn with Mayor Bloomberg. In the days after, he spoke to Governor Spizter to formally request that the State seek federal disaster assistance. Fossella also secured a commitment from top officials of FEMA to reevaluate damage in Brooklyn when the borough was not among the counties approved for assistance. Following the disaster declaration, Fossella helped arrange for a tornado Disaster Assistance Support Center (DASC) to be opened in Brooklyn.

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