September 9, 2021
Rep. Adriano Espaillat
Following President Biden’s approval of emergency and major disaster declarations for New York, U.S. Reps. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) and Grace Meng (D-NY) announced today that they are leading an effort to secure even more federal relief to help New Yorkers recover from the devastation caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida.
The two lawmakers have spearheaded a bipartisan letter to the leaders of the House Appropriations Committee asking them to write a bill that would provide the highest amount of federal funds possible for New York. The committee, of which Espaillat and Meng are members, is the panel in Congress that is responsible for allocating emergency disaster funding.
The letter requests money for homeowners, the MTA, emergency planning for future extreme weather, converting basement apartments, flooding remediation for roads and highways, construction funding for existing resiliency projects and general disaster relief.
“This is now the second time in two months our communities have been flooded as a result of the climate crisis, and they’re in dire need for our support,” said Congressman Espaillat. “Countless families, businesses, and neighborhoods were completely uprooted, and we tragically lost 16 of our fellow New Yorkers – the time to act is now. While we continue to survey the economic toll this storm took on our community, we know that without emergency disaster funding New York’s path to recovery from Ida, and the COVID-19 pandemic, will be impeded – and this is unacceptable. That’s why I’m proud to join Congresswoman Meng in leading our colleagues in this fight to bring much needed relief to those most affected by Hurricane Ida.”
“As I have said, we need as much federal assistance as possible to help struggling New Yorkers rebound from the damage and devastation that they are experiencing,” said Congresswoman Meng. “New Yorkers need the federal government’s support during this critical time. Additional financial help is vital to our recovery, and we will fight for this needed relief.”
Others who signed the letter include New York Reps. Mondaire Jones, Carolyn Maloney, Nydia Velázquez, Thomas Suozzi, Nicole Malliotakis, Jamaal Bowman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Kathleen Rice.
A copy of the letter can be viewed here.
Collapsed carport on West 218 Street
Top photo: Major Deegan Expessway in Kingsbridge on September 2, 2021.
