Rep. Tenney Announces Major Disaster Declaration for Oswego County, Lake Ontario Flooding

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 -- Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., has issued the following news release:

Today, Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22) announced that President Trump has issued a major disaster declaration in response to summer flooding along the Lake Ontario shoreline. This will release federal funds to the state of New York to assist Oswego County, among others, with recovery efforts from flooding that occurred from May 2 to August 6, 2017.

"Unprecedented flooding along the Lake Ontario shoreline severely damaged hundreds of businesses and homes. This damage is beyond the response capabilities of state and local governments, which is why I've continued to call for a federal disaster declaration," said Congresswoman Claudia Tenney. "We are grateful to President Trump and FEMA for issuing a major disaster declaration and providing this support from the federal government to ensure our communities can address these costs and mitigate against future flooding."

In order for President Trump to issue a disaster declaration, federal law requires that the initial request come from the governor. On July 6, 2017, Governor Cuomo officially requested that a major disaster declaration be issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Due to the severity of this flooding and persistently high water levels, Governor Cuomo determined that the scope of the relief and response efforts are beyond the capability of the state.

In June, Rep. Tenney visited the region impacted by the flooding to survey the damage firsthand.

In July, Rep. Tenney led a letter calling on President Trump to immediately issue a disaster declaration.

Additionally, on August 18, Rep. Tenney hosted a Flood Summit for local officials and representatives from the Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA, which was an opportunity for all parties to learn more about flood recovery and mitigation efforts. Throughout the summit, local officials consistently voiced their strong need for increased assistance from the federal government to meet the high recovery and mitigation costs.

This document was posted showing the date: Nov. 14, 2017.