Washington, DC -- Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) agreed with his assessment of the extensive damage done to Rockland County by Irene and will make Rockland families eligible for individual assistance to recover from the devastation they suffered in the storm. Individual assistance allows people to request aid for damage to their homes and personal belongings damaged by the storm.

Rep. Engel said “After I toured the damaged areas of Suffern, Sloatsburg and Clarkstown on Wednesday, I spoke to FEMA and insisted that they look at the damaged areas themselves. FEMA did.  Today the Director of Emergency Response for Region 2 called to tell me that he completely agreed with my assessment, calling the damage to Rockland ‘the worst destruction he has seen in 30 years.’ FEMA recommended, and the White House agreed, that Rockland residents are eligible for individual assistance.”

The Congressman continued, “The suffering of the people in Rockland, who in some cases had lost everything, broke my heart. Homes were destroyed. For some, this was the third time they have been flooded out. I could not believe they would be denied help. I spoke several times on the phone with FEMA, first to convince them that the damage was extensive, and then requesting inspectors be sent on site to see for themselves. They came, they saw, and they agreed. Now for these devastated people there will finally be assistance.”

There are several ways to register for Individual Assistance: online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or at FEMA's mobile website, m.fema.gov. Individuals can also call 800-621-FEMA (3362).  For TTY call 800-462-7585.  If individuals have a speech disability or hearing loss and use a TTY, they should call 800-462-7585 directly; if they use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800-621-3362. Multilingual assistance is available.

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