Suffolk flooding: Federal emergency declaration issued

President Joe Biden on Sunday issued a federal emergency declaration for Suffolk County to aid disaster relief efforts after catastrophic storms hit Long Island last week, the White House said.

Biden’s declaration opened up the pathway for federal money to be available for certain emergency relief efforts.

With the declaration, Biden specifically enabled the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency "to coordinate all disaster relief efforts, which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population," and to provide "appropriate assistance for required emergency measures," the White House said in a statement.

The emergency relief can go toward protecting vulnerable infrastructure, as well as generally buttressing state and local endeavors, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul's office. The federal government can reimburse up to 75% of certain expenses under a FEMA program.

Last week’s storms caused severe damage in portions of northern Suffolk County, flooding homes and destroying other infrastructure. Suffolk County said there were 2,441 reports of damage to roads and dams as of Saturday. The county's updated figures as of that day show 72 homes sustained major damage. The county has estimated that the total damage sustained from the flooding could be as high as $100 million.

Hochul had issued an emergency declaration for the county on Friday.

"Extreme weather hit Suffolk County families and communities hard this month and I commend the hardworking damage assessment teams on the ground who provided information to secure this important federal disaster assistance," Hochul said in a statement Sunday.

Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine thanked Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, among others, for their work to facilitate the emergency declaration.

"We can now move forward and begin to help families and communities begin to rebuild," Romaine said in a statement.

Staff from the state's Department of Financial Services will be at Stony Brook University's Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology on Tuesday and Wednesday between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. to help residents and businesses through the insurance process, according to Hochul's office.

The state is also offering a disaster hotline for those seeking insurance help at 800-339-1759. It has extended hours until Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

New York Homes and Community Renewal is also starting a program where homeowners on Long Island may be eligible for grants that amount to $50,000 to pay for certain repairs that resulted from the storm and are not covered by insurance, the state said.

By Tiffany Cusaac-Smith

tiffany.cusaac-smith@newsday.com@T_Cusaac

Education: Howard University 

Tiffany Cusaac-Smith came to Newsday in 2023 after being a race and history reporter at USA TODAY, where she wrote enterprise and spot articles examining how the past shapes the present. Previously, she worked as the race and justice reporter at the USA TODAY Network of New York, covering issues such as criminal justice reform, housing, environmental justice, health care and politics. At The Journal News/lohud.com in Westchester County, she covered Yonkers, the state's third-largest city. She also worked at The Associated Press in Atlanta.

Honors and Awards: Criminal justice reporting fellowship with the National Press Foundation;  New York News Publishers Association award for distinguished investigative reporting;  Contributed reporting for Best of Gannett honor; Member of Table Stakes, a program funded by the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund and managed by the American Press Institute to transform local news.