Today, Governor Andrew Cuomo's office announced more stops on his administration's ongoing tour of flood-damaged communities in upstate New York.
This afternoon, Environmental Facilities Corporation CEO Matthew Driscoll will visit Sidney and Margaretville, in Delaware County. Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Darrel Aubertine will tour flood-damaged farms in Schoharie County.
Yesterday, Lieutenant Governor Bob Duffy visited Hunter and Prattsville in Greene County. The Daily Mail covered his stop in Prattsville, where local officials pressed him for financial help from the state for the recovery effort:
[Prattsville supervisor Kory] O’Hara pointed out only that many homeowners are wavering in terms of investing in the town’s future, with floods virtually certain to happen again, and that only 2 of the 21 businesses in town have been able to reopen, to date, even with Herculean effort.
“It would take somewhere between $20,000 to $50,000, depending upon the situation, for each of these businesses to get back in operation,” O’Hara said. “And it has to be a grant, not a loan. Most of these folks were just making enough to put bread on the table. They weren’t buying new cars.
“We’re at a point where we don’t know whether we should keep going or stop and wait to see if the dollars are going to be available to help us,” O’Hara said. “Do we leave our town as it is right now or move forward? I know one thing. The money isn’t going to come from our town budget.”
“I’m not here to give you promises and pledges we can’t keep,” Duffy said. “The State is in tough financial straits. I can say we’re pushing as hard as we can for federal aid to cover as much of this as possible. I would never say spend money you don’t have.”
Today's schedule:
8:00 AM to 11:00 AM: Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Aubertine will visit farms in Orange County.
1:00 PM: Environmental Facilities Corporation President Driscoll will be in Delaware County.
Village Hall
21 Liberty Street
Sidney, NY 13838
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM: Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Aubertine will visit farms in Schoharie County.
5:00 PM: Environmental Facilities Corporation President Driscoll will be in Delaware County
Village Hall
773 Main Street
Margaretville, NY 12455
