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NY senator pitches mold relief in Sandy aid bill

New York Sen. Charles Schumer says the second part of the Sandy relief aid package includes as much as $1 billion to help homeowners deal with mold remediation. WAMC’s Dave Lucas reports.

Schumer estimates as many as 300,000 homes in New York alone suffered flood damage in the October storm. Many of those homes are now inundated with dangerous mold.

FEMA strictly limits reimbursements for mold relief. However, Schumer says part of the $51 billion aid package to be voted on by the House next week includes money to address the problem.

He says the money would be distributed through the Department of Housing and Urban Development, not FEMA.

Schumer says he's both optimistic and worried about next week's vote.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.