AFTER RELENTLESS ADVOCACY, SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE MAJOR DISASTER DECLARATION FOR DEADLY WINTER STORM ELLIOTT UNLOCKING FEDERAL FUNDS TO HELP BUFFALO, WESTERN NY AND IMPACTED COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE STATE RECOVER
Deadly December Blizzard Slammed Buffalo And Upstate Communities With Historic Amounts Of Snow – Bringing Hurricane Force Winds, Impossible Road Conditions And Tragically Resulting In Nearly 50 New Yorkers Losing Their Lives
Senators Fought Non-Stop To Elevate Buffalo’s Requests For Help To Highest Levels of Government, Writing - Multiple Letters- With Schumer Personally Lobbying President Biden On Air Force One, Calling The FEMA Administrator, And White House Chief Of Staff Multiple Times To Ensure Upstate NY Got The Help It Needed
Schumer, Gillibrand: Federal Dollars Will Provide Support Needed To Get Buffalo And Upstate Communities On Long Road To Recovery
After an all-out push, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that President Biden has approved New York’s Disaster declaration for Winter Storm Elliott, officially providing the state and local municipalities with federal funding needed to boost recovery efforts. The declaration will make federal funding available to cover the costs of storm-related damages and emergency response for both New York State and in impacted communities in Erie, Genesee, Niagara, St. Lawrence, and Suffolk Counties, including Snow Assistance for Erie and Niagara Counties to reimburse for snow removal. The declaration will also include Individual Assistance to cover funeral expenses for residents of Erie and Niagara Counties.
“The deadly December blizzard was a once in a generation storm, bringing hurricane-force winds, mass power outages, and tragically resulted in nearly 50 New Yorkers losing their lives, mostly in the City of Buffalo. I fought non-stop to elevate the voices of Western New York to the highest levels of government talking to the FEMA Administrator, White House Chief of Staff, and even the President himself on Air Force One, because I knew Buffalo needed this funding to truly start on the long road to recovery from this horrific storm,” said Senator Schumer. “I promised I would make sure this funding was delivered no matter how many bureaucratic roadblocks may get in the way, and that snow removal would be included, and a promise made is now a promise kept. While nothing can truly make the Buffalo community whole after the immeasurable loss of life it suffered because of this tragic storm, this funding will provide the support needed to rebuild, and rebuild stronger, and provide additional assistance to those who lost loved ones in the storm. I sincerely thank President Biden for heeding my calls to ensure communities across New York impacted by this storm have the support they need to recover.”
“This Major Disaster Declaration means the city of Buffalo can continue to rebuild from the devastating loss suffered because of Winter Storm Elliott. Given the scope and historic nature of this storm, I fought for and secured these emergency federal resources to help the Buffalo community recover from the significant damage caused by the snow. I will continue fighting to lay the foundation for a stronger, more resilient future to keep all New Yorkers safe during winter storms,” said Senator Gillibrand.
Schumer and Gillibrand have been fighting tooth and nail to secure federal support for Winter Storm Elliott, launching an all-out effort to deliver any and all resources to help communities recover. Prior to the storm beginning on December 23rd, the senators wrote to FEMA telling the agency to stand at the ready and as soon as New York State made the request urged President Biden to approve a federal Emergency Declaration, which was approved on December 26th. This provided reimbursement for emergency protective measures but was limited to $5 million in relief.
Schumer continued advocating for the federal government to provide every resource possible to Western New York as recovery was underway. During this time, Senator Schumer personally called FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell to emphasize the importance of federal aid for Buffalo, Western New York, and other impacted communities recovery efforts.
On January 4th, Schumer and Gillibrand stood together at FeedMore WNY’s Food Warehouse in Buffalo to double down on the need for federal disaster relief as communities continued to recover. While New York State was actively undergoing the damage assessment to submit for a Major Disaster declaration, Schumer launched an all-out campaign personally lobbying the White House Chief of Staff on the importance of New York communities receiving federal support to aide in recovery efforts.
This culminated in Senator Schumer making a personal appeal to President Biden while traveling with him on Air Force One to make the Major Disaster Declaration.
On February 24th, New York State officially submitted for the Major Disaster declaration, and the senators, along with Congressman Higgins, sent another letter to President Biden, urging the administration to quickly approve New York State’s request, including the state’s request for Individual Assistance. Building on their efforts to provide additional federal relief, on February 28th, following both the senators urging the U.S. Small Business Administration announced that it would provide federal disaster loans to residents and businesses in Erie, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Genesee, Niagara and Wyoming Counties.
Now, the Major Disaster declaration has officially been declared following the months of efforts by Schumer and Gillibrand. Grant assistance will now be made available to state and local governments, as well as certain non-profit organizations, to reimburse costs incurred for emergency work and the repair or replacement of damaged facilities in Erie, Genesee, Niagara, St. Lawrence, and Suffolk Counties. The Major Disaster declaration also authorizes FEMA to reimburse Erie and Niagara Counties for snow-related expenses from the storm. This funding will be available on a cost-sharing basis with FEMA covering 75 percent of the eligible costs for permanent and emergency work. Additionally, President Biden authorized Funeral Assistance – a form of Individual Assistance under Other Needs Assistance – that reimburses those in Erie and Niagara Counties who lost a loved one for funeral and cemetery expenses.
The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act authorizes the president to issue “Major Disaster” or “Emergency” declarations after catastrophes occur. These declarations unlock federal aid through FEMA that is broken into two broad areas: Individual Assistance (IA) that aids families and individuals, and Public Assistance (PA) that is mainly for response and repair work on infrastructure, such as debris removal and rebuilding roads and bridges.
A copy of Schumer and Gillibrand’s letter to President Biden appears below:
Dear President Biden:
We write to both thank you for all your hard work in supporting New York following the Winter Storm Elliott, and to urge you to expeditiously approve the New York State’s requested Major Disaster declaration, including Individual Assistance. The state’s request for Funeral Assistance and Crisis Counseling services emphasizes the destructive force of this storm, and granting this request will provide some relief to grieving families in Western New York.
The tragic impact of this storm is hard to put into words. As of February 24, there have been 47 deaths reported in Western New York. Tragically, according to city and county officials, 8 people died due to a delayed EMS response, 18 were found outside in the snow, 4 were found in vehicles, 4 died from snow shoveling/blowing incidents, 12 died without power or heat, and 1 died from carbon monoxide poisoning due to a blocked furnace vent.
That is why New York State requested Individual Assistance for Erie and Niagara County residents. We know that Individual Assistance is rarely granted, but with so many casualties in such a small area, we strongly believe this is justified. The poverty rate in Buffalo is more than 15 percentage points over the national rate and 90% of the housing stock in Buffalo was built prior to 1969, meaning that many residents are left with otherwise substandard housing, which can exacerbate the effects of extreme cold and make it more difficult to stay warm during prolonged power outages. This was particularly relevant during Winter Storm Elliott, as tens of thousands of households across the state were without power for an extended period of time due to the storm. While Individual Assistance is made on many factors, the casualties from this storm and population demographics of the impacted counties support the call for Individual Assistance, and therefore we strongly support New York’s request for Funeral Assistance and Crisis Counseling.
Winter Storm Elliott was a widespread event that affected the entire state of New York, bringing with it a range of hazards including strong winds with speeds of more than 60 mph, causing whiteout conditions, snow drifts over 12 feet, and extremely low wind chill temperatures. Long Island was forecast to experienced coastal flooding due to high waves, while areas around Lake Erie and Lake Ontario faced both coastal flooding and a lake effect snowstorm. This multi-faceted storm caused devastating consequences that resulted in loss of life.
The conditions were so severe that even plows had to be pulled off the roads. Many first responders who had been pre-positioned in and around Buffalo were unable to deploy for up to 18 hours due to the hazardous conditions. Nearly two thirds of the response vehicles deployed were also stranded. The blinding snow and powerful gusts made it impossible for search and rescue operations to be conducted, leaving hundreds of motorists stranded in their vehicles for hours, and in some cases, days. Attempts to seek shelter were often unsuccessful due to the blustery snow and freezing temperatures. Some individuals took refuge in retail stores, closed schools, and churches.
While we appreciate everything FEMA has done to assist New Yorkers during this difficult and tragic time, and we urge you to provide New York a Major Disaster declaration, including Individual Assistance, as expeditiously as possible.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter, if you have questions please do not hesitate to contact our staff.
Sincerely,
###
