Governor Kathy Hochul this week pledged $3 million in state emergency assistance for people living in communities hit by last month’s flooding. She said that the state remains committed “to assisting New Yorkers in any way possible as part of the recovery effort following last month’s historic storm.”
That money will be spread out over 8 counties, including Ontario County, where the Canandaigua area saw nearly six inches of rain in a short amount of time.
The damage affected dozens of homes, but the damage was not as bad as it was downstate, in Orange County.
Even so, the Deputy Administrator for Ontario County, Alissa Bub, said that more than 180 homes in that county were affected.
“There was significant damage done here that maybe wasn’t the same as Orange County but a lot of residents were impacted and are struggling to rebuild their homes,” said Bub.
She also noted that even if some people did have flood insurance, they have high deductibles.
“A lot of the area that was impacted in the city of Canandaigua were people that were required to have flood insurance, But what we’ve been finding is that there was a $10,000 deductible, so people are struggling to even hit that before they can use their flood insurance,” said Bub.
Bub said that if homeowners qualify, the money can be used in a variety of ways.
“It can be used for electrical and plumbing systems, for repair and replacement of those, for sump pump repair or replacement, for furnaces or water heaters, impacted refrigerators or cooking stoves, washers and dryers, drywall and finishing insulation, foundation repair; it’s a pretty long list,” Bub said.
The latest funding is in addition to the $3 million announced by the governor last month to help homeowners in Orange County.
The emergency funding announced this week will cover damage incurred at a primary residence for homeowners who meet the program’s income guidelines. New York State Homes and Community Renewal will oversee the program which will be administered by several non-profit organizations in each county.
A full list of qualified repairs and eligibility criteria are available on the HCR flood program website.
Grants of up to $50,000 will be awarded based on a scope of work approved by the local program administrators. The application process for the grants launches on Friday, August 11.
