Ida 2 Years Later: $20M Now Available For LI, Hudson Valley Residents

NEW YORK — It has been nearly two years since the remnants of Hurricane Ida devastated parts of New York, but the recovery continues to this day.

Some things will never be the same after Ida left homes and businesses destroyed. The lives lost will never be replaced, but Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced that more state funds have been released to help communities on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley most affected by the storm.

On Thursday, the New York governor announced that $20 million is now available for two parts of the state’s $68 million four-part initiative to help communities and homeowners continue to recover from the devastating storm.

Ida tore through New York on September 1, 2021, impacting 10 counties with the bulk of the damage outside New York City occurring in Westchester. The state’s comprehensive initiative encompasses four distinct programs that will make communities and the homes of renters and homeowners safer and more resilient against future storms.

Requests for Proposals (RFP) are now open for two of the programs aimed at assisting homeowners and facilitating community resiliency projects. The programs will be open to counties outside New York City with a presidential disaster declaration for individual assistance, including Dutchess, Nassau, Orange, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester counties.

The city of New York is administering its own recovery program.

"As New York continues the relief effort following the devastation of Hurricane Ida, this critical funding will help thousands of New Yorkers rebuild their homes and create stronger, safer, and more resilient communities," Governor Hochul said. "On the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Ida, I am reaffirming my commitment to supporting New Yorkers impacted by the storm and ensuring that our state is fully prepared for the next major weather event."

Requests for proposals are now open for the areas of the state impacted.

• The $15.6 million Repair and Reimbursement Program is available to non-profits to help homeowners make storm damage repairs and/or secure reimbursement for completed repairs. Families that earn 80 percent or less of the Area Median Income will be prioritized for eligibility and must demonstrate that their homes were damaged due to Ida.
• The $4 million Resilient Investments Program helps local governments with technical assistance and/or planning funds to implement community-resiliency projects that will enhance protections for both infrastructure and local housing stock in the event of future storms.

The request for funding proposals will be open in the coming weeks and months for the remaining programs, including the Affordable Housing Resiliency program that will make investments in resiliency measures at public and affordable housing complexes and the Renters Resilient Housing program that will assist renters and small landlords whose units were damaged in the storm or who need to implement resiliency measures to protect against future storms.

The four-part initiative is administered by New York State Homes and Community Renewal’s Office of Resilient Homes and Communities (formerly the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery) with Community Development Block Grant — Disaster Recovery funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Under the state’s agreement with HUD, 80 percent of the funds will go to Westchester County.

"Our Hurricane Ida recovery initiative will assist families impacted by the storm to make repairs to their home, as well as ensure we can better withstand extreme weather events in the future," Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said. "We look forward to working with our partners as we rebuild better and more resilient communities."

The Hurricane Ida recovery initiative expands on New York’s commitment to investing in storm recovery and resiliency, officials said. Last year, voters approved the Environmental Bond Act to make more than $4 billion available to protect water quality, help communities adapt to climate change, reduce pollution, and create green jobs. In addition, Governor Hochul turned Resilient Homes and Communities into a permanent office to lead the state’s disaster response efforts and incorporate long-term resiliency planning into the storm recovery process. More recently putting these priorities into action, earlier this summer she announced a comprehensive package of actions to help New Yorkers impacted by flooding in July including up to $6 million in emergency assistance for low- and middle-income homeowners.

"Hurricane Ida devastated communities across the Hudson Valley and Long Island, causing millions in damage to roads, businesses, and hundreds of homes," Senator Chuck Schumer said. "I am proud to help deliver this vital assistance to get families, businesses, and homeowners on the road to recovery, and I commend Governor Hochul for her commitment to ensuring residents throughout the Hudson Valley and Long Island have all the resources they need to build back from Ida stronger than before."