Residents, Businesses Encouraged to Submit Flood and Storm Damage Information for Possible Federal Aid
Poughkeepsie, NY … Residents and business owners are encouraged to report damage to private property or small businesses in the wake of the storm that began on Sunday, July 9th and subsequent flooding as the Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response works in collaboration with New York State to determine eligibility for potential aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The State has established a Rain/Flood Damage Self-Reporting Tool for residents and businesses to report damages, an essential step towards obtaining aid under FEMA’s assistance programs. Residents are reminded that submitting their information is not a guarantee of funding, and online submissions do not register them with FEMA.
Dutchess County is awaiting a potential disaster declaration from FEMA, and the proactive measure of gathering residents’ damage information will help the County calculate residents’ losses throughout the community. If and when Dutchess County receives its disaster declaration and FEMA determines the area is eligible for Individual Assistance, residents will be notified about how to register and apply for aid.
Among other basic information collected on the online portal, residents and businesses will be asked to provide:
- the type of structure that was damaged;
- the type of damage sustained; and
- a brief description of the loss or damage.
FEMA teams will be visiting Dutchess County in the coming weeks to visit affected areas to calculate damages as part of the County’s inclusion in a Statewide Disaster Declaration under FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) program. Information submitted by residents and businesses will be crucial in the disaster declaration determination.
