Federal flood relief pending; loan process stalled

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July 14, 2011

DENISE A. RAYMO Press-Republican The Press Republican Thu Jul 14, 2011, 05:56 AM EDT

MALONE — Businesses, homeowners and farmers with spring-flooding damages may still be eligible for low-interest federal loans even if an earlier denial of assistance sticks.

A variety of federal-relief programs could kick in if requests pending from Gov. Andrew Cuomo are granted.

But flood victims may have to wait two more months to have their applications reviewed.

DECISION APPEALED

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has OK'd assistance to upstate counties, municipalities, fire departments and some nonprofit agencies, making them eligible for federal public-assistance and hazard-mitigation funds to recover from spring flooding.

But a state request for individual-recovery assistance through FEMA to help tri-county businesses and property owners was denied because, a FEMA reply to Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, the damage sustained wasn't severe enough.

Cuomo has appealed the decision, and U.S. Rep. Bill Owens has sent a letter of support for the measure.

"It is vital that we explore every avenue of available federal assistance available to upstate New York so that residents can rebuild their communities," he wrote.

Cuomo has also made an appeal to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for low-interest loans to help farmers who suffered production and physical losses due to flooding.

LOAN PROCESS HALTED

Farmers, farm cooperatives, small-business owners and private nonprofit agencies might also be eligible for a second USDA program called the Economic Injury Disaster Loans program.

But for now, little movement can be made because the pending appeal includes a halt to applications for help through the Small Business Administration.

"One of the bad parts is that when (FEMA) denied (individual relief), it stopped the SBA-loan process," said Ricky Provost, director of Franklin County Emergency Services.

He said property-damage-assessment experts are due back this week to revisit sites they looked at immediately following the storms and will also check out other places they could not get to because floodwaters were still too high.

GRANTS LIMITED

That reassessment might bolster the region's case, because FEMA bases its decision on the number of homes or sites destroyed.

But "we could go another 40 to 60 days" before a decision is made, Provost said, which means property owners would have to tough it out even longer.

That wait and the weight of worry could be too much for some, such as hotel and motel owners who may miss the entire tourist season because they have no money to repair their rooms and amenities for safe occupancy, he said.

If the appeal is successful, individual assistance can include help finding and funding housing, disaster-unemployment assistance, crisis counseling and other assistance.

Even if the designation is awarded and individual property owners are eligible to receive federal assistance, the maximum FEMA grant would be $35,000.

Email Denise A. Raymo at: draymo@pressrepublican.com