Gov. Hochul asks Trump administration for financial aid following nor'easter damage

From The Long Island Daily · 10:06

Show by WLIW-FM

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has asked the Trump administration to approve financial aid for Long Island municipalities slammed by last month's nor’easter, which caused widespread flooding and disrupted travel and utility services in both Nassau and Suffolk counties.Nicholas Grasso reports in NEWSDAY that Governor Hochul requested for President Donald Trump to declare the Sept. 26 and 27 storm a major disaster so local governments and nonprofits can apply for Federal Emergency Management Agency and other federal funds “for debris removal, protective measures, and repairs to public buildings and infrastructure, including roads, bridges, water and wastewater treatment facilities, critical infrastructure sites, schools, parks and other facilities,” the governor’s office said in a news release.Working with both counties, FEMA and the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services determined the storm, which coincided with a full moon, wrought enough damages to warrant Hochul to seek federal aid, according to the release.The National Weather Service recorded 3.32 inches of rain on Sept. 26 and 27 at Islip. Isolated areas received more than 6 inches of precipitation, causing “flash flooding in low-lying areas and exacerbated the coastal flooding and wind impacts,” according to Hochul's office.Winds in excess of 50 mph blew through Nassau, while gusts stronger than 65 mph battered Suffolk, Newsday reported at the time. Aggressive waves that delighted surfers carved sand from South Shore beaches. Flooding suspended Long Island Rail Road service. Ordinary streets were more easily passable by kayak than Cadillac. Downed trees and power lines cut off roadways as well as power for more than 124,000 PSEG Long Island customers, according to the utility provider.Hochul, who declared a state of emergency on the eve of the storm, said the fall weekend nor'easter was the “latest in a series of severe weather to impact downstate, and I thank our first responders and emergency management officials for their efforts to keep New Yorkers safe throughout the storm.”Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine told Newsday federal dollars would help repair hard-hit areas like Smith Point County Park in Shirley and Dunne Road in Southampton Town.“This is an important step to help people address any damage that was caused by yet another punishing storm,” Romaine added in a statement shared through spokesperson Mike Martino.***A federal grant worth over half a million dollars that Southampton Village received through FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program is now in flux after the Village Board identified what board members described as language that was unacceptable to them and in violation of New York State law. Dan Stark reports on 27east.com that the board previously voted unanimously at its October 8 meeting to accept the $560,000 grant, but reversed course at its October 20 meeting and voted unanimously to reject the grant. Mayor Bill Manger said that this vote was taken ahead of the village’s original deadline of Thursday, October 22.But since last week, the Village of Southampton received an extension from the federal government and now has until December 15 to decide whether it will accept or reject the grant, which was intended to fund the purchase of 56 new tri-band portable radios that will be equipped in the emergency vehicles of the Southampton Fire Department and the Southampton Village Volunteer Ambulance.Manger said that there were conditions of accepting the grant that the village did not see until they got the final documentation, upon which Southampton Village Attorney Eileen Powers looked at it and said that there may components of it that are not legal under New York State law.“It had to do with that the police department would have to cooperate on federal matters within the village,” he said in a follow-up call. “And it was Eileen’s understanding that maybe that had been prohibited by New York State law, so that was the main component that there was some concern.”Manger did not specify what state law Powers thought that accepting the grant would violate but in August, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the “Local Cops, Local Crimes Act” into law, which prohibits local law enforcement agencies from entering into arrangements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to have local officers perform the duties of federal immigration officers. So, is this the issue causing the Southampton Village Board to hesitate accepting a $560,000 federal grant?7:33am - 7:34amMore than 100 high school students from across eastern Long Island are expected to attend the annual East End Youth Leadership Summit on Friday, November 6, at Suffolk County Community College’s Riverhead campus.Hosted by the East End Partnership for Youth, the summit will run from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m…a week from this Friday…and will feature interactive workshops and activities focused on mental health awareness, healthy…

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