Carmel, NY – Following a request for assistance made by Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne and local town supervisors and village mayors, Governor Hochul’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration was approved by President Biden. The announcement from the President came after County Executive Byrne met with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Senior Advisor to President Biden and White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu to discuss recovery efforts in the Hudson Valley. This is in addition to numerous conversations with the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) and a preliminary damage assessment conducted by representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

"I'd like to thank President Biden for approving the federal Major Disaster Declaration that will enable FEMA to offer critical financial disaster relief funding to various municipal governments suffering from storm damage,” said County Executive Kevin Byrne. “I'd also like to thank Governor Hochul, her staff and team at the Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services for working jointly with our team at the Bureau of Emergency Services during the storms and recovery efforts. Every representative from Putnam's state and federal delegation took time to reach out and offer support in the aftermath of the storms, and we thank them all, but we also recognize we still have a long way to go before all repairs and mitigation efforts are completed. Many homeowners are still hurting from storm damage. We will continue to work with our partners at the state and federal government to give them what they need to bolster their efforts to bring back additional relief."

Eligibility for assistance to individuals is still being evaluated by the state and federal government. Residents are encouraged to document damage and work with their insurance companies. Putnam County’s Bureau of Emergency Services confirmed with New York State they are compiling data from individuals and small businesses state-wide to strengthen the state’s request for individual assistance. Residents are encouraged to visit Putnamcountyny.com/damagereport to be directed to the survey provided by DHSES.

For the full press release from the Governor’s Office click here.