Senator Charles E. Schumer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 13, 2006

Schumer, Clinton Introduce Amendment To Restore Funding To FEMA Disaster Relief

Senators Amendment Will Restore More Than $300 Million to Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Relief Account

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton today offered an amendment to restore more than $300 million to Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Relief Account, bringing it back to the President’s initial request of $1.94 billion. Three types of FEMA assistance will aid individuals and local governments in clean-up, repair and future protection efforts.

“In the wake of the floods that have ravaged New York local governments and communities are scrambling to find the funding to get individuals and businesses back on their feet,” said Schumer. “Time and time again we see that FEMA is on its heels when it should be on its toes. With all these troubles, funding must be restored to disaster relief so that it can reach the victims who really need it.”

“More than 6,000 residents in flood-impacted areas have now applied for federal assistance. While the federal government has so far approved some aid, when you look at the extent of the suffering and see the weather forecasts, we know much more assistance is needed,” Senator Clinton said. “Our local communities must have the full backing of the federal government. We must ensure that when people apply for disaster assistance that there is enough funding in the Disaster Relief fund to meet those needs, both now and in the future.”

Damages from recent flooding in New York could meet or exceed $100 million in losses repairs and replacements. The floods have destroyed over 1,000 homes and physical damage to farms is estimated to be around $4 million, with crop losses between $16 and $20 million.

Under the Disaster Relief Program, FEMA give out three types of assistance. Individual assistance is aid to individuals and households, which helps disaster victims find temporary housing, pay for rent, home repair or home replacement costs. Public assistance aids public entities by reimbursing emergency services and funding repair or replacement of disaster-damaged public facilities, roads and bridges. Hazard Mitigation Assistance helps local governments protect against future disasters and reduce future losses to public and private property.

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