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Officials say New York floods caused 'tens of millions' in damage, Hochul asks FEMA for aid
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Jul 10, 2023
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Governor Kathy Hochul's office
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Jul 10, 2023
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The devastating floods in the Hudson Valley from Sunday night’s storm caused tens of millions of dollars worth of damage, county and state officials said Monday.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said during a news conference in Highland Falls — where some streets were wrecked from the deluge — that she’s requested assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“The first step is assessment,” said Hochul. “Assess the damage, assess the monetary value of the damage so we can put in our request for FEMA assistance to help the communities have the resources they need to rebuild.”
Hochul issued states of emergencies across Ontario and Orange counties. Areas of the Hudson Valley saw upwards of 8 inches of rain overnight, according to the National Weather Service.
At least one death was reported in the Hudson Valley as the result of the storm. Tracks on sections of the Metro-North’s Hudson Line were inundated with water. And state officials reported roughly 5,500 people didn’t have electricity on Monday morning.
“Everybody here is pushing for a federal disaster declaration because we’re going to need it,” Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus said during the news conference. “Easily, tens of millions of dollars in damage here.”
Hochul said the heavy rainfall and flooding was “part of the new normal for New York.”
“The worst continues to happen,” she said. “You only need to walk through the streets and see the pain in people’s eyes as they describe to me their loss, their fear and their anxiety.”
Hochul pointed to other recent climate disasters in the state, including last month’s hazardous air quality caused by Canadian wildfires and Hurricane Ida, which killed 50 people in New York and New Jersey.
She said the state is now considering measures to prepare for future natural disasters, particularly for smaller communities that lack the “sophistication” or engineers readily available to assess damage.
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Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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