More Sandy Recovery Aid for Westchester
Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-Westchester/Rockland), the senior Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, today announced $2,477,959 in federal Sandy recovery aid for Westchester County.
The funds, which are being provided through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance program, will reimburse the County for 90% of the emergency measures taken by the Westchester County Department of Environmental Facilities to protect the Yonkers Joint Wastewater Treatment Plant from flooding and power outages during and in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.
The funds come from the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, a bipartisan bill passed by Congress in January to help states affected by Sandy. Congresswoman Lowey helped lead the bipartisan effort to pass the full assistance package.
“Superstorm Sandy devastated our region, taking lives, devastating homes and businesses, and threatening to cripple our region’s infrastructure, including our supply of safe drinking water. The Yonkers Joint Wastewater Treatment Plant took a direct hit, and Westchester County went to extreme and costly lengths to keep the plant up and running to protect residents’ health,” said Congresswoman Lowey. “This badly-needed aid will help ease the financial burden of the County’s Sandy response and limit the impact to taxpayers.”
During Sandy, the plant experienced hurricane-force winds, widespread flooding, and power outages. To protect the health of Westchester residents and continue to provide clean drinking water, the Westchester County Department of Environmental Facilities, which owns and runs the plant, operated temporary generators to keep the plant functioning; drained flooded areas; and undertook other emergency measures, including rewiring, installing bypass systems, and transporting sludge to other sites to prevent a backup of sewage and hazardous waste at the plant.
The plant serves the communities of Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, White Plains, Yonkers, Bedford, Greenburgh, Mount Pleasant, Mount Kisco, New Castle, North Castle, Ardsley, Briarcliff Manor, Bronxville, Dobbs Ferry, Elmsford, Hastings, Irvington, Pleasantville, Scarsdale, Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown, and Tuckahoe.
Congresswoman Lowey announced earlier this month that local governments in Westchester and Rockland Counties have received more than $35,000,000 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance grants since Sandy struck last year.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.