CROSS-POSTED AT KECK FOR ASSEMBLY
My heart goes out to all those affected by the damaging floods that have been occurring across the Upstate region and within the 107th State Assembly District. The damage that can be seen from photos and news coverage cannot come close to the actual devastation, and I hope to be touring the affected areas in southern Delaware County as soon as practicable.
I would like to ask all Upstate representatives to call upon the Governor to request that President Bush declare a federal disaster in the affected areas. We must also be mindful that the federal government not repeat the New Orleans tragedy during this response.
Governor Pataki has already declared a state disaster emergency for the affected counties, and according to the
Governor's site, he has added additional counties to the list:
Governor George E. Pataki today declared a State Disaster Emergency for Oneida, Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties. The Governor previously declared Broome, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Herkimer, Montgomery, Otsego, Schoharie and Tioga counties as a State Disaster Emergency, bringing the total number of counties included in the Governor's declaration to 13.
In addition to the state response, several of New York's federal representatives have called upon Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to respond quickly to the Upstate need and to avoid the debacle witnessed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf States. From the
Daily Star:
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said he is acting to make sure that the Federal Emergency Management Agency's response to the floods here is not like the response to Hurricane Katrina.
Schumer said he was expecting a "full commitment" that FEMA would be "doing everything they can."
"This is a big flood. Other states were affected," Schumer said during a conference call Wednesday. "We want FEMA to pay attention to upstate New York."
[snip]
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., also called on [FEMA Director] Paulison and President Bush to immediately provide aid and assistance to the flooded areas.
In addition to Senator Clinton and Senator Schumer, Congressman Hinchey has called upon Governor Pataki to ask for a federal disaster declaration, and according to the
Poughkeepsie Journal:
Schumer and Hinchey urged Pataki to request a disaster declaration from President Bush, which would clear the way for federal emergency funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA.
According to
Wikipedia, and as we saw last year in Louisiana, the governor must call upon the President to declare a federal disaster:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) within the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate. FEMA's purpose is to coordinate the response to a disaster which has occurred in the United States and which overwhelms the resources of local and municipal authorities. Generally, the governor of the state in which the disaster occurred must declare a state of emergency and formally request from the President of the United States that FEMA and the Federal Government respond to the disaster.
Congressman Hinchey said as much in a press release issued on
June 28:
"It is imperative that our communities receive federal assistance in order to deal with the damage and property losses left in the wake of the heavy rains and flooding over the past few days," Hinchey wrote in a letter faxed to Pataki's office today. "I hope that you will quickly mobilize an aggressive response to this situation by the State Emergency Management Office and request a Major Disaster Declaration from the President in the most expeditious manner possible. As you know, this declaration will enable residents and local municipalities to access the assistance they need through the Federal Emergency Management Agency as well as other federal agencies, allowing the process of repairing and rebuilding to begin as quickly as possible."
I would like to join with Mr. Schumer, Mrs. Clinton, and Mr. Hinchey in calling for federal assistance to deal with this natural disaster and also ask that our Upstate representation join in this call for federal aid.