New York’s two U.S. Senators and a congressman are urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency to stand ready to approve any request from the state for disaster declarations for Hudson Valley counties. The counties were impacted from severe storms and tornadoes in mid-May.
Senators Charles Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand along with Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney say the disaster declaration would unlock federal funds for impacted counties that are recovering from the May 15 storms that tore apart homes and businesses and knocked out power for days. The Democrats sent a letter to FEMA Administrator Brock Long, calling on his agency to be ready to participate in a Preliminary Damage Assessment with state and local officials, should the state request it. The National Weather Service said four tornadoes touched down in the Hudson Valley, one in Newburgh, in Orange County, where trees fell onto cars and claimed the lives of two people, including an 11-year-old girl.
