Governor Andrew Cuomo has provided an update on state assistance for residents in flood affected communities.
The Governor is reminding New Yorkers in flood-torn communities in need of assistance to call the NYS Flood Helpline - 1- 888-769-7243. New Yorkers can call the helpline for assistance, including important local contact information for the Red Cross and Salvation Army, health and safety tips, where to go to receive a tetanus shot, what to do in case of an oil spill or power outage, mental health assistance, and for other recovery needs as well... here is the full text of the Governor's communique:
New Yorkers can call the helpline for assistance, including important local contact information for the Red Cross and Salvation Army, health and safety tips, where to go to receive a tetanus shot, what to do in case of an oil spill or power outage, mental health assistance, and for other recovery needs as well. Life threatening emergencies should be reserved for 911.
NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT
Yesterday evening, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo deployed 250 National Guard members to help residents and businesses impacted by the recent heavy rains and devastating flood damage in the Mohawk Valley region. Members of a New York Army National Guard engineer task force departed from their home armories this morning to support recovery efforts in the Mohawk Valley.
The engineer troops will be arriving throughout the afternoon at the Utica Armory with more than two dozen vehicles, including bulldozers, bucket loaders, excavators and dump trucks. These engineer forces, with about 150 soldiers, will assist local recovery efforts on Route 168 in Mohawk and Route 51 in Ilion. Governor Cuomo's mobilization of additional National Guard forces also includes an additional 30 military police soldiers to assist law enforcement with presence patrols in the City of Oneida.
The troops join more than 50 National Guard soldiers already employed across Herkimer County, utilizing high axle vehicles to support local first responders. These vehicles and 14 soldiers are currently staged at seven different fire stations in the county, positioned to quickly assist local responders.
ROAD OPENING AND CLOSURES:
The following roads have now been reopened:
Herkimer County
Rt 5 between Manheim Road at Bitelman Road, was closed in both directions due to a mud slide
Rt 5 in Town of Little Falls, at Gun Club Road, had alternating traffic due to a mud slide
NY 169 in the Town of Herkimer, between Kelly Road and West End Road
Schuyler – SR 5
Rt 5S – was closed due to water over Mucky Rum and Dyke Road
NY 5S East Main Street
Rt 28 was closed due to water over road at Schader Hill
Rt 51 at Steel Creek
Montgomery County
NY 5S/NY 80 in the Village of Fort Plain, at Main Street
Oneida County
NY 12B in the Town of Franklin/Deansboro, between Rt 233/Harding Rd and Rt 315.
Essex County
Rt 9 was closed from Rt 73 to Rt 9N between North Hudson and Elizabethtown.
Cortland County
Rt 41 (Main Street) was closed in both directions (NB/SB) between South Street and Elm Street in the Village of McGraw
US Rt 11 was closed in both directions (NB/SB) between Rt 41 and Ridge Road in the Town of Cortlandville
Chenango County
Rt 12B (North Main Street) (NB/SB) was closed between Howard Road and Rt 12 due to flooding.
Rt 12 (North Main Street) was closed in both directions (NB/SB) between Rt 12B and Rt 80 (West State Street) in the Town of Sherburne.
The following roads remain closed:
Herkimer County
NY 168 in Mohawk between Columbia St/Rt 28 and Rt 167
NY 51 between Ilion and Cedarville
NY 80 in the Town of Stark, between the Otsego County Line and NY 5S
SR 169 at Middleville
Madison County
NY 365A in the City of Oneida, between Genesee St/ NY 5 and NY 365.
Montgomery County
NY 80 in the Town of Fort Plain, between Abbott St and Pumpkin Hook Rd (Otsego County)
NY 5, between NY 10 and NY 334 is closed due to train derailment
Residents and Businesses in the Mohawk Valley regions can call 511 or visit www.511NY.org for real-time road and traffic updates.
To assist with reopening roads and bridges, the State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) has 292 staff assisting in Mohawk Valley, and approximately 300 pieces of equipment. NYSDOT is assisting with assessments and repairs on more than 50 roads, bridges and culverts for municipalities Herkimer County. NYSDOT consultant damage assessment teams are on standby and ready to deploy where needed.
INFORMATION FOR SNAP (FOOD STAMPS) BENEFITS:
Recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, formerly known as food stamps, that have lost food purchased with their benefits due to the storm are entitled to have their benefits replaced. Households must notify their county department of social services, in person or by phone, of their loss of food within 10 days of the date of the incident, and must return a signed and completed form within 10 days of reporting their loss and vouch for the cost of the lost items. This form may be found at http://otda.ny.gov/programs/applications/2291.pdf and is also available at local departments of social services. In areas where power outages and flooding is pervasive, applicants will be asked to sign this form vouching for the cost of the lost items, which usually is sufficient proof in order to have SNAP benefits replaced.
Households that do not currently receive SNAP can check their eligibility for SNAP benefits and other human services programs, and apply for SNAP online, by visiting myBenefits.ny.gov. Residents without Internet access may want to visit their local public library, many of which offer free computer and Internet access. People can also apply for SNAP in person at their local department of social services office.
Emergency Temporary Assistance may also be available to people who are in immediate need of help due to the rains and flooding. This assistance can cover items ranging from food, clothing and furniture, to repairing or replacing home heating equipment, to providing temporary shelter. Applicants and recipients of emergency temporary assistance must have no resources available to reduce or meet their immediate needs. For more information on documentation requirements, please visit: http://otda.ny.gov/programs/temporary-assistance/#apply, or contact your county department of social services.
A list of county departments of social services in affected areas and their contact information are below:
Broome County Department of Social Services
36-42 Main Street, Binghamton, New York 13905-3199; 607-778-8850
Chenango County Department of Social Services
PO Box 590, 5 Court Street, Norwich, New York 13815; 607-337-1500
Clinton County Department of Social Services
13 Durkee Street, Plattsburgh, New York 12901-2911; 518-565-3300
Delaware County Department of Social Services
111 Main Street, Delhi, New York 13753; 607-832-5300
Essex County Department of Social Services
7551 Court Street, PO Box 217, Elizabethtown, New York 12932-0217; 518-873-3441
Franklin County Department of Social Services
355 W. Main St., Suite 331, Malone, New York 12953; 518-481-1873
Herkimer County Department of Social Services
301 North Washington Street, Suite 2110, Herkimer; New York 13350, 315-867-1291
Madison County Department of Social Services
PO Box 637, North Court Street, Wampsville; New York 13163, 315-366-2211
Montgomery County Department of Social Services
County Office Building, PO Box 745, Fonda, New York 12068; 518-853-4646
Oneida County Department of Social Services
800 Park Avenue, Utica, New York 13501-2981; 315-798-5700
Otsego County Department of Social Services
County Office Building, 197 Main Street, Cooperstown, New York 13326-1196; 607-547-1700
Schoharie County Department of Social Services
Schoharie County Office for the Aging Building (also known as The Annex), New York State Route 30, Schoharie, New York; 518-295-8334
St. Lawrence County Department of Social Services
Harold B. Smith County Office Bldg., 6 Judson Street, Canton, New York 13617-1197; 315-379-2111
Tioga County Department of Social Services
PO Box 240, 1062 State Road, Owego, New York 13827; 607-687-8300
Warren County Department of Social Services
Municipal Center Annex , 1340 State Route 9 , Lake George, New York 12845-9803; 518-761-6300
BOIL WATER ADVISORY
Boil Water Advisories:
- · In the City of Oneida (Madison County), a water main break has occurred in the Flood Evacuation Area. The boil water advisory applies to the following: Linden Street, Mott Street, Stoddard Street, Lexington Avenue north of Lenox Avenue, Stephens Street north of Lenox Avenue.
· In the Village of Mohawk (Herkimer County), wells are inundated, causing extensive electrical damage. A boil water advisory has been issued for this area.
· At the Van Hornesville Water Works (Herkimer County), a water main break has occurred. Residents in this area should boil their water.
· In the Town of German Flatts (Herkimer County), within the Leather Stocking Mobile Home Park. The well was inundated with flood water. Residents should boil their water.
· In the Village of Herkimer (Herkimer County), residents in the area of Herkimer County Community College, its associated apartment complexes and buildings, the County 911 building, and residences along the upper loop of Ridgewood Dr. and Westwood Dr. are encouraged to boil their water due to a water main break (now repaired).
ELECTRIC / GAS
Electric:
National Grid is reporting the following electrical customer outages associated with the flooding in the Mohawk Valley and Northeast Regions:
- · Fort Plain: 248 electric meters are off or pulled from service. The company has turned back on 118 meters, with the remaining 130 reported as condemned or require additional work required.
- · Herkimer: 154 electric meters are off or pulled from service. The company has turned back on 90 meters, with the remaining 64 reported as condemned or require additional work required.
- · Utica, Rome, Oneida: 434 electric meters are off or pulled from service. The company has turned back on 104 meters, with the remaining 330 reported as condemned or require additional work required.
The Village of Mohawk has restored electrical service to approximately 98% of its customers. The remaining, approximately 20-25 electric customers, cannot receive power at this time due to flood damaged equipment. Those customers are being restored as they receive approval by the local inspectors. The electric substation switchgear has been sent to a cleaning & inspection company in Pennsylvania to be cleaned and tested. Once that is completed and re-installed, the distribution service from the substation will be back operating under normal conditions. The Village sewer and water plants are still on generators as they work to repair and replace flood damages equipment before re-energizing those facilities.
Gas:
National Grid is reporting the following gas customer outages associated with the flooding in the Mohawk Valley and Northeast Regions:
- · Fort Plain: 248 gas meters shut-off and 220 gas regulators affected. The company has restored service to 66 meters and unable to restore 182 gas meters due to property being condemned or customers not ready to accept gas service. The company has inspected 213 regulators and has replaced 117 of them.
- · Herkimer: 893 gas meters shut-off and 1019 gas regulators affected. The company has relight 214 customer meters and unable to restore 679 gas meters due to property being condemned or customers not ready to accept gas service. The company has not been able to gain access to 61 meters. The company has inspected 1019 regulators and has replaced 2 of them.
- · Mohawk: 301 gas meters shut-off and 572 gas regulators affected. The company has relight 19 customer meters and unable to restore 160 gas meters due to property being condemned or customer not ready to accept gas. The company has inspected 572 regulators and has replaced 62 of them.
- · Ilion: 66 gas meters shut-off and 663 gas regulators affected. Extended survey area of previously worked street due to a larger section of the system being compromised from 7/2 overnight storms. The company has relight 25 customers and unable to restore 41 gas meters due to property being condemned, not able to gain access, or customer not ready to accept gas. The company has not been able to gain access to 7 meters. The company has inspected 663 regulators and has replaced 3 of them.
- · Utica, Rome Oneida: 447 gas meters shut-off and 78 gas regulators affected. Access still remains an issue in Oneida. The company has been able to relight 98 customer meters. The company is unable to restore 349 gas meters due to property being condemned and access issues. The company has inspected 43 regulators and has replaced 7 of them.
To contact your utility company:
· Central Hudson: 1-845-452-2700 or 800-527-2714 or go to www.centralhudson.com · National Grid (Upstate Electricity): 1-800-867-5222
· National Grid (Upstate Gas): 1-800-642-4272
· NYSEG (Electricity): 1-800-572-1131, or go to www.nyseg.com
· NYSEG (Gas): 1-800-572-1121
· RG&E (Electricity): 1-800-743-1701, or go to www.rge.com
· RG&E (Gas): 1-800-743-1702
Utilities can provide customers with storm and safety information or customers can call the Department’s Call Center for information. The PSC Help Line can be reached by calling 1-800-342-3377.
