Hurricane Ida Recovery One Year Later: New York

On Sept. 5, 2021, President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for the state of New York for remnants of Hurricane Ida. Torrential downpour from the storm resulted in severe flooding that impacted homes, businesses and infrastructure across the state. The recovery continues through a whole community approach across all levels of government, community organizations and individuals.

One year after the federal disaster declaration more than $594 million in federal funds have been provided to New York to aid in their recovery. Funds include grants from FEMA through its Individuals and Households and Public Assistance programs, low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration and claim payments from the National Flood Insurance Program.

Federal Disaster Assistance at a Glance

Individual Assistance

• 10 counties designated for federal assistance: Bronx, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, Orange, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Westchester
   
• 41,367 households approved for FEMA disaster assistance, totaling $223.3 million, including:
   
  • $200.9 million approved for Housing Assistance, which helps to cover temporary housing, rental assistance, and home repair and replacement.
     
  • $22.4 million approved for Other Needs Assistance, which can help eligible survivors pay for replacing essential household items, medical and dental expenses, childcare, debris cleaning and removal, and other disaster-related expenses.
    • $681,600 worth of Group Flood Insurance Policies, securing three years of flood insurance coverage, have been certified on behalf applicants.

• Ten Disaster Recovery Centers and 37 Mobile Disaster Recovery Centers opened across the designated counties to provide FEMA registration and application assistance to nearly 10,000 survivors.

Disaster Survivor Assistance teams conducted door-to-door outreach to nearly 100,000 homes to offer survivors registration assistance and resource referrals.

• Coordinated by FEMA Voluntary Agency Liaisons and New York City Emergency Management, eight AmeriCorps teams, totaling 64 members, remediated mold and mucked and gutted 90 damaged homes.

Public Assistance

• Fourteen counties designated for categories of federal assistance: Bronx, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster, Westchester, and New York
   
• $15.6 million obligated to help state and local governments and certain private nonprofits pay for infrastructure repair, debris removal, emergency protective measures, and hazard mitigation measures. This includes:
   
• 330 projects obligated to repair critical infrastructure and social service facilities in communities – such as accredited schools, hospitals, roads and bridges, community centers, and houses of worship.
  • The New York Hall of Science, a museum in Queens County, was reimbursed over $725,000 for emergency protective measures, including water removal and debris clearing.
     
  • Pine Bush Central School District was obligated over $565,000 to reconstruct damaged parking lots and implement mitigation measures – this includes projects to install pavement underdrains designed to collect excessive stormwater.

Small Business Administration

• 4407 low-interest disaster loans approved for homeowners, renters, and businesses for a total of $217 million including:

  • $192.3 million in home loans

  • $24.6 million in business loans

  • $104,000 in Economic Injury Disaster Loans to support small businesses and private nonprofits that suffered disaster-related economic losses.

National Flood Insurance Program

• 2790 claims paid, totaling $141 million, including:

  • $8.4 million in advanced payments

Mitigation

• Hazard Mitigation Specialists stationed in eleven hardware stores across declared counties offered over 1,000 survivors mitigation recommendations and resources to make homes more resilient to natural disasters.

• Outreached and distributed mitigation resources to public and community affiliations including over 130 faith-based organizations and 50 public libraries

Preparedness

• As we approach the height of hurricane season, New Yorkers are reminded to take steps now to be prepared for the future:

  • Build an Emergency Supply Kit. Start with the items you may already have in your home and create an emergency supply kit with essentials to sustain your family for at least three days. Among the basics, like water, non-perishable foods, a flashlight and radio, a kit should also include items specific to your families’ needs.

  • Make a Plan. Talk with family or members of your household about potential risks in your area so your family knows who to contact, where to go if ordered to evacuate, and how to respond in an emergency.

  • Safeguard Critical Documents. Important personal, financial, medical, and insurance documents should be stored in a water-tight container or external drive in a flood-safe location on high shelf or upper floor.

  • Purchase Flood Insurance. While most renters, homeowners, and auto insurance policies do not cover flood damage, flood insurance can protect your home and belongings. Flood insurance policies normally go into effect 30 days after you purchase the policy.

• For more hurricane preparedness information, visit Ready.gov. To learn more about flood insurance, visit FloodSmart.gov.

• For the latest on New York’s Hurricane Ida recovery efforts, visit fema.gov/disaster/4615. Follow FEMA on Twitter at twitter.com/femaregion2 and at facebook.com/fema.