President Biden on Monday approved an emergency declaration for New York and ordered federal assistance to help respond to the severe winter storm in the western part of the state.
His action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate all disaster relief efforts to supplement state and local response efforts in place since the snowstorm hit over the weekend.
The federal government can now coordinate disaster relief in 11 New York counties, including Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) thanked Biden for approving the emergency declaration and for working with the state.
“Our emergency declaration for counties impacted by this weekend’s historic winter storm has been approved! Thank you @POTUS for immediately granting our request & for our ongoing strong partnership. We’ll keep working around the clock to help communities rebuild & recover,” she said in a statement.
The massive storm dumped more than six feet of snow in some areas and set a record for the most snowfall in a 24-hour period in New York. The Buffalo Bills moved their Sunday night football game against the Cleveland Browns to Detroit after the heavy snowfall, which began in the Buffalo area late on Thursday evening.
Source: The Hill
Be First to Comment