Gillibrand: Flood relief conditions 'absurd'
PENN YAN--Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) met with village and county officials Friday, Sept. 5 to receive a briefing on what her office can do to assist with flood recovery in Yates County. The meeting took place at the Arc of Yates in Penn Yan, a building that has now been assessed with $1.2 million in damage during the flash flood events that occurred in May. The senator met with several victims of the flood along with the officials who voiced their concerns with what needs to be done.
"There are a lot of homeowners who can't go back to their homes, who don't have the financial resources to rebuild," Gillibrand said. "And when insurance companies deny their claims and say there is no funding, it's an absurdity and it shouldn't be allowed to stand. We are going to advocate on behalf of homeowners with their insurers, with state and local organizations that can maybe help them get donations or a bit of relief. Families need help and this is such a generous community with people who really have helped each other clear out the debris, but now it is time for rebuilding and without real resources it can be real difficult."
Along with the damage to the Arc of Yates building, which used to house services to those with developmental disabilities within the community, the senator also heard from others still rebuilding after the flood. Marianne Kerrick said she had been paying her flood insurance policy on her Champlin Avenue home for 17 years, but her claim was denied because her insurance company said surface water damaged her home instead of flood water. One farmer discussed the problem he is having, being reimbursed for his crop loss due to flooding, but receiving no assistance in the form of the top soil that was washed away. Gillibrand expressed her disappointment with the insurance companies and said she will advocate on behalf of the flood victims, while also attempting to get the Arc of Yates a designation for additional FEMA funds to help complete the rebuilding effort. |
|
$element(adman,groupads,YatesRight6)$
$element(adman,groupads,YatesRight5)$
$element(adman,groupads,YatesRight2)$
$element(adman,groupads,YatesRight8)$
|
