Press Release
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For Immediate Release |
Contact: (202) 225-3965 |
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Reps. Crowley, Weiner, McMahon Applaud Declaration of Federal Disaster in New York City
Federal Money, Assistance Will Help Communities Recover From September’s Storms
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| Washington, D.C. — Today, Reps. Joseph Crowley (D-Queens, the Bronx), Anthony Weiner (D-Queens, Brooklyn) and Michael E. McMahon (D-Staten Island, Brooklyn) praised President Obama’s declaration of a major Federal disaster for New York following last month’s destructive storms that severely damaged parts of the city. With this declaration, the boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island will be eligible for Federal assistance.
“Tornadoes don’t hit New York City every day, but last month we learned the ugly and unfortunate consequences of when they do. The damage caused to our city after the September 16th storms was significant and I am pleased that President Obama agreed and responded to our calls for assistance. Thanks to the federal disaster declaration, New York will now have the resources it needs to put communities affected on the road to recovery. The next step will be for FEMA to act on the request for the Individual Assistance program to ensure that affected residents and businesses can also receive the help they need,” said Rep. Crowley.
“This news comes as a great relief to New Yorkers who incurred significant damage as a result of these storms. Providing this much needed assistance to the city was the right move. We still have more work to do before the mess is finally clean, but this will help,” said Rep. Weiner.
“This announcement will lead the way for critical federal relief to help the people of Staten Island and Brooklyn rebuild and clean up the severe damage from the September storm. For those New Yorkers struggling from the disaster’s impact, this assistance can't come fast enough,” said Rep. McMahon.
Members of the New York Congressional Delegation called on Governor Paterson to conduct an assessment of the damage and proposed he request federal assistance the day after the storms hit. Following the Governor’s decision to move forward with this request, the Members sent a letter to President Obama stating their support for a declaration of Federal disaster.
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