For Immediate Release
DHS Press Office
Contact: 202-282-8010
NEW YORK— Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today traveled to Connecticut and New York where she met with state and local officials, first responders, and volunteers, and surveyed ongoing response and recovery efforts to Hurricane Sandy. Secretary Napolitano reiterated the ongoing support of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the rest of the federal family as local communities continue to respond to and recover from the storm. Secretary Napolitano and FEMA Deputy Administrator Richard Serino will travel to Staten Island, N.Y., tomorrow.
“In the face of this disaster, we have seen individuals and communities coming together, neighbors helping each other, and people determined to recover and rebuild and come back even stronger,” said Secretary Napolitano. “The federal government, including FEMA and all of DHS, is here to support the needs of these communities and help them recover and rebuild – and we will be here for the duration.”
In Bridgeport, Conn., Secretary Napolitano met with Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy, Senators Joe Lieberman and Richard Blumenthal, U.S. Representatives Christopher Murphy, Joe Courtney, Rosa DeLauro, Jim Himes and John Larson, and other state and local officials, and toured areas damaged by Hurricane Sandy, and the disaster recovery center.
Secretary Napolitano then traveled to New York where she visited the Governor Hugh Carey Brooklyn Battery Tunnel with Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. Secretary Napolitano also toured the emergency operations center and met with state and local officials, and first responders and emergency management teams to discuss coordination among federal, state and local partners on response and recovery efforts throughout the region.
President Obama declared a major disaster for Connecticut and New York on Oct. 30. In Connecticut this makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Fairfield, Middlesex, New Haven, and New London counties, as well as the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and Mohegan Tribal Nation, both within New London county. In New York, this makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Richmond, Suffolk, and Queens counties.
This federal assistance includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business-owners recover. Those in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.disasterassistance.gov, by mobile device at m.fema.gov, or by calling 1-800-621-3362 (FEMA). The number is toll free and will operate from 7 am to 10 pm seven days a week.
For more information, visit www.fema.gov.
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