Governor Kathy Hochul announced Aug. 11 emergency assistance to support homeowners impacted by the remnants of Hurricane Debby. At her direction, New York Homes and Community Renewal is launching an emergency repair program for homeowners in Delaware and other counties impacted by the storm. Additionally, staff from the New York State Department of Financial Services will be deployed to impacted communities to support residents and businesses with financial services questions. As these state-based resources are deployed, disaster recovery experts from the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services have begun working with their local counterparts to assess damage statewide in order to determine the state’s ability to request federal disaster relief resources from FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Homeowners will be eligible for grants of up to $50,000 to fund or reimburse certain qualifying health and safety related repairs to address damage caused by the storm that are not covered by insurance or other disaster relief programs. Applicants must be homeowners who occupy the home as a primary residence and total household income may not exceed 100% of the county area median income.
The program will be administered by local partners who will work directly with affected homeowners and assist them with insurance claims, the repair and reconstruction process and reimbursement requests. Eligible homeowners interested in applying may inquire by visiting: forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=6rhs9AB5EE2M64Dowcge50PCUkzUgH1PsaPvJo38hUBUNDRSU1JIMDg1RFZITjNLMFM0MEJFQlZDSi4u&route=shorturl
Additionally, staff will be at resource centers to support residents and businesses with financial services questions, including insurance information regarding policy coverage for losses. Extended hours of the Disaster Hotline will provide similar support to those unable to visit a resource center. Impacted residents and businesses can call 800-339-1759.
