Three towns in Suffolk hit by August rainstorm do not qualify for federal assistance, officials say

Three Suffolk County towns that were flooded by an August rainstorm do not qualify for federal disaster assistance, state and federal officials said Wednesday.

The announcement makes it less likely that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo would formally request a federal disaster declaration, which could trigger federal financial aid for the towns of Islip, Babylon and Brookhaven, officials said.

Federal Emergency Management Agency and state inspectors also determined that individual homeowners and businesses affected by the Aug. 13 storm did not qualify for federal assistance.

"The joint assessments with FEMA confirmed that damages from the storm fell below the threshold required to receive a major disaster declaration from FEMA," the state homeland services division said in a statement. "The state is working with the Suffolk County communities to recover."

FEMA spokesman Don Caetano said the decision does not preclude Cuomo from requesting a federal disaster declaration. He said Cuomo had not requested one.

A spokeswoman for Cuomo declined to comment.

Brookhaven, Islip and Babylon officials had hoped for federal reimbursements to pay for repairs to roads and drainage systems damaged by the storm, which dumped a state record of 13.57 inches of rain at Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma.

"We're definitely disappointed and we're continuing to work with residents that had issues from the storm that day," Babylon Supervisor Richard Schaffer said. "I don't think there's any other recourse that we had."

Town officials have estimated the storm caused about $20 million in damage to town facilities in Islip; $10 million in Brookhaven; and several hundred thousands of dollars in Babylon.

Officials said inspectors from FEMA and the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services found about $13 million worth of damage in all three towns -- far short of the federal government's $27 million threshold for damages that would be reimbursed by federal aid.

Brookhaven Supervisor Edward P. Romaine said he was "terribly disappointed" that homeowners, many of whom did not have flood insurance, would not receive federal aid.

"These were total losses," he said. "How are people going to recover from this?"

State officials encouraged businesses and homeowners to apply for federal Small Business Administration loans to pay for damage caused by the storm.

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.