Buffalo, NY (WBEN) Congressman Brian Higgins says the White House has authorized a federal disaster declaration for New York State. The action will allow for the flow of additional federal funding to address the urgent needs of the state and local governments in response to coronavirus (COVID-19).
Under the order, New York State will be provided further federal resources under the following categories:
Public Assistance: The program provides funding for emergency assistance to save lives and assists communities responding to and recovering from major disasters or emergencies. State, county and municipal governments will now be eligible for 75% federal cost sharing for various costs of responding to this crisis including overtime and equipment, reducing the costs to the local property base.
Individual Assistance: Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program (CCP): CCP provides eligible governments and non-governmental organizations with supplemental funding to assist disaster-impacted individuals and communities in recovering from the major disasters through the provision of community-based outreach and psycho-educational services. The goal is to aid survivors in recovering from the adverse reactions to disasters and to begin to rebuild their lives.
Higgins said, “This designation is necessary to support a community in crisis and the frontline emergency response workers doing everything they can to protect residents. More is needed but this is another critical step in addressing some of our urgent needs.”
The disaster program is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and allows for additional designations for assistance in the future.