Orange County Legislature Calls for More Federal, State Aid in Flooded Areas

A broken metal fence that was pushed apart by a historic flood the day before in Highland Falls, N.Y., on July 10, 2023. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

The Orange County Legislature unanimously passed a resolution on Aug. 3 calling on the federal and state government to step up assistance to the flooded region.

In early July, historic rainfall flooded the west portion of the county, with the Highland Falls area receiving as much as nine inches of rain in a day.

As of Aug. 2, 1,350 people have called the county 311 line to report flood damage, but only a small percentage qualify for the $3 million state assistance made available by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, according to county Public Safety and Emergency Services Committee Chair Kevin Hines.

Under the state guidelines, applicants must be homeowners in the county and earn income at or below 80 percent of the area median to qualify for up to $50,000 in aid.

For individual homeowners, annual income can’t be above $66,600; for a family of three, they can’t bring in more than $85,700 annually.

The basement of a laundry store on Main Street following a historic flood in Highland Falls, N.Y., on July 10, 2023. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

“Under the governor’s plan, you can’t be a landlord or a tenant, you must own a home and live in it, but it is virtually impossible to own a house in this region with those income parameters,” Mr. Hines, who initiated the resolution in the Legislature, told The Epoch Times.

In his district, a portion of Cornwall outside the traditional flood zone was flooded by the historic rainfall, resulting in damaged private bridges, pools, and landscaping. Many of the affected homeowners have no flood insurance and deserve help, he said.

Mr. Hines suggested that the income restrictions be removed from the state assistance requirements for faster fund disbursements, as well as adjusted to allow tenants and landlords to get a share, too.

“Everybody suffered—it doesn’t matter what you do for a living or how much you make,” he said.

Orange County Legislature Chairwoman Katie Bonelli said: “It is misleading for the governor and the state to announce funding for storm damage relief for Orange County residents when in reality the criteria for qualifying excludes most of the people in dire need of assistance.

“We implore all our state representatives in Albany to carefully review this action and make adjustments that will truly assist our residents.”

A spokesperson from Ms. Hochul’s office told The Epoch Times on Aug. 7 that the income thresholds will be raised if there’s remaining money from the $3 million state fund.

The Epoch Times reached out to RUPCO, a regional organization administering the above fund, for the current balance but received no reply by press time.

Water supplies at the Sacred Heart Church following a historic flood in Highland Falls, N.Y., on July 10, 2023. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

The county Legislature resolution also calls on the federal government to help all individuals, businesses, and farmers who suffered damage in the flooding.

Although the Federal Emergency Management Agency has moved to aid local governments in the county, it has yet to unlock monetary assistance to individuals, Mr. Hines told The Epoch Times.

County Executive Steve Neuhaus said at the legislative session that he appreciated what the federal and state government had done so far and hoped that they could do more.

He noted that local and regional nonprofits also helped in the recovery, including Samaritan’s Purse, Team Rubicon, and William Larkin Community Response Task Force Fund.

County legislator James O’Donnell said the county could fund its own recovery program should the state and federal governments fail to deliver more.