WITH UPSTATE NEW YORK STILL REELING FROM HALLOWEEN STORMS, SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE $9.2 MILLION DOT GRANT TO REPAIR UPSTATE NEW YORK ROADS AND HIGHWAYS

After Successfully Calling For Major Disaster Declaration, Schumer & Gillibrand Secure Funding For Real Repairs To Begin; Road Repairs

Will Help Restore Communities To Pre-Disaster Conditions

Funding Paves Way For Emergency and Permanent Repairs For Counties Heavily Affected By October Storms

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation has granted Upstate New York counties devastated by the Halloween Storm last year, $9,200,000 in federal funding through the Emergency Relief (ER) program. The $9.2 million will go towards repairing roads and highways in Upstate New York, both of which were seriously damaged during the flooding.

“This grant is good news for everyone in Upstate New York. Last Halloween, our state, from one corner to the other, saw severe damaged after being ravaged by heavy rain, flooding, and tempestuous winds. This federal aid will finally begin the process of healing and recovery for these Upstate communities and ease the burden of natural disasters on New York taxpayers,” said Senator Charles Schumer.

“I’m grateful we could deliver federal aid to communities across Upstate New York that are still suffering from the extensive damage caused by the Halloween storms,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “This grant is an important first step in ensuring these communities get the resources they need to rebuild.”

During the Halloween storm, 12 counties received at least 3 inches of rain, which is nearly a month’s worth in most Upstate areas, and 27 counties received flood warnings and flash flood warnings. Furthermore, winds blew between 60 and 70 miles per hour, knocking down countless trees, destroying private property and leaving hundreds of thousands of Upstate New Yorkers without power. In the Mohawk Valley, hundreds of residents were evacuated and many properties remain uninhabitable. The storm even tragically took the life of a priest, Father Tom Connery, in Herkimer County, who was trapped in his vehicle during one of the flash floods. In Western New York, floodwaters and wind caused millions in damage across the Lakes Erie and Ontario shorelines.

Schumer and Gillibrand have long advocated for federal recognition of the disaster and called repeatedly for funding to begin repairs. The DOT funding will go towards the 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, and 27 Congressional districts.

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