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Feds approve disaster declaration in Brooklyn, suburbs after September flooding, Hochul says
By
Michelle Bocanegra
Published Jan 31, 2024
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Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
By
Michelle Bocanegra
Published Jan 31, 2024
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The Biden administration approved a “major disaster declaration” for Brooklyn and city suburbs after the remnants of Tropical Storm Ophelia last September that inundated parts of the New York metropolitan region with heavy rains and floods, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday morning.
The declaration will release funding to assist with recovery-related efforts in Kings (Brooklyn), Nassau and Westchester Counties, among those most heavily-hammered by the downpours on Sept. 29, 2023. Brooklyn, which was rife with images of flooded subway stations and cars partly submerged on roads, received more than eight inches of rain within a 24-hour period. Parts of Nassau and Westchester Counties were close behind with more than six inches of rainfall.
“I’m committed to securing every possible dollar of federal aid to help the people of New York,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement. “The major storm in September caused significant damage, and we’ll continue our efforts to help communities recover and rebuild.”
The federal funding is intended to help local governments with debris removal, infrastructure repairs and protective measures.
The storm on Sept. 29 brought a rapid clip of rains that nearly matched the rains from the remnants of Hurricane Ida in 2021, which brought devastating floods to the city that killed 13 people, most of whom had been trapped in basement apartments.
Tagged
president joe biden
fema
new york city
brooklyn
flooding
Kathy Hochul
Michelle Bocanegra
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