Montgomery County seeks flood-relief funds

Elected officials in Montgomery County and two state lawmakers are asking for state and federal funding to help pay for damages inflicted by heavy rains last month.

Heavy rain on June 13 caused significant flooding and prompted the county to declare a state of emergency. Flooding led to the evacuation of some residents, the destruction of private property and infrastructure damage.

State Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk, D-Duanesburg, and Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, D-Rotterdam, both of whom represent parts of Montgomery County, wrote a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York’s federal legislators and the Federal Emergency Management Agency detailing their requests.

State and local officials estimate there is more than $250,000 worth of damage to public infrastructure and an as-yet undetermined amount of damage to private property. They say the monetary burden of cleanup is too much for some of the fiscally stressed communities in Montgomery County that have been repeatedly tormented by severe weather events.

The letter reads: “Now, the people of Montgomery County need the state and federal government to rally their resources again so struggling communities can recover and rebuild.”

Tkaczyk and Santabarbara are also requesting that communities that were affected by the floods be included in the New York Rising Community Reconstruction Program, which allocates funding to rebuilding projects.

Montgomery County Legislator Terry Bienek said instituting preventative measures will lessen future weather damage: “We need to stop being reactive to flooding events and start being proactive.”