CONGRESSMAN PAT RYAN SLAMS FEMA FOR DENYING INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE FOR FLOOD VICTIMS
Congressman Pat Ryan Slams FEMA for Denying Individual Assistance for Flood Victims
FEMA denied Individual Assistance in a letter to Governor Hochul yesterday
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Pat Ryan condemned FEMA for denying Orange County flood victims Individual Assistance, demanding FEMA Administrator Criswell come to the Hudson Valley and personally explain to impacted families why she was denying them relief. In July, historic flooding devastated the Hudson Valley, particularly in Fort Montgomery, Highland Falls, and Cornwall. Without individual assistance, hundreds of Hudson Valley residents will remain without the vital funds needed to rebuild their homes and lives.
“Just last week, I pressed the FEMA Administrator face-to-face on why her agency has failed to provide individual assistance to Orange County families recovering from the devastating flood. Now, based on formulas they won’t even divulge, bureaucrats sitting in some office down in DC are denying relief. This is total bullshit, and a fundamental failure by FEMA to accomplish their mission,” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “Administrator Criswell should come up to the Hudson Valley, look impacted families in the eye, and explain why she can’t marshal the resources to help them rebuild their homes. This is an outrageous and unacceptable failure – I will continue working to find other avenues to secure everyone impacted the relief they need and deserve.”
Last week, Congressman Pat Ryan questioned FEMA Administrator Criswell directly, demanding that FEMA provide Individual Assistance for Orange County flood victims. Ryan also urged Criswell to personally come to the Hudson Valley and hear from families impacted by the storm.
The entirety of Ryan’s remarks at the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee hearing on Economic Development can be found here.
Since historic flooding devastated the Hudson Valley in July, Congressman Ryan and his office have worked around the clock to deliver relief for impacted families. Ryan formed a coalition of community partners and mobilized his Constituent Advocacy Resources Empowerment Services (C.A.R.E.S.) Van to hold a series of events to deliver flood recovery resources directly to constituents in communities impacted by the flood.
Ryan visited communities throughout Orange County to assess the damage, meet residents impacted by the storm, and partner with state, local, and federal leaders on a coordinated response. Ryan’s staff have also volunteered at the Red Cross shelter in Highland Falls and will continue to be on the ground for additional support.
On July 14th, Ryan joined Congressman Lawler in a bipartisan call for a Major Disaster Declaration, which was approved by President Biden on July 22nd.
On August 4th, Congressman Ryan announced the re-opening of the Popolopen Bridge, a key access point connecting Route 9W and the surrounding counties. Funds provided by the Major Disaster Declaration were critical for the bridge to re-open only four weeks after flooding damage closed it. The project was originally expected to take months to fix and had caused significant traffic disruption, and slowed economic activity.
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