Nassau County added to FEMA aid list

Nassau County residents and business owners trying to recover from Tropical Storm Irene are now eligible for federal disaster assistance.

A day after Nassau was left off the list of New York counties where individuals are eligible for expedited assistance, the Federal Emergency Management Agency added it, along with Westchester and Rensselaer counties. Suffolk County is still awaiting approval for the aid.

The announcement means low-interest loans will be available to Nassau homeowners, renters and businesses from the Small Business Administration. In addition, residents can apply for FEMA grants up to $30,200.

FEMA had already agreed to assist Long Island local governments with the cost of emergency management, storm cleanup and damage to public property.

"I am pleased that FEMA is moving quickly to further assess the damages and needs of New Yorkers impacted by Hurricane Irene," Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said in a statement.

Nassau's eligibility comes after several elected officials urged FEMA to help Long Island.

New York's Democratic Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand on Wednesday objected to the Island's omission from the individual assistance program. And Rep. Steve Israel (D-Dix Hills) Thursday held a news conference calling on FEMA to expedite small business loan assistance to Long Island.

A spokeswoman for Israel said Suffolk could be eligible for aid soon. Nassau's inclusion in the individual assistance program comes after federal, state and local officials worked on the county's damage assessment. A similar team was preparing Suffolk's assessment Thursday.

A FEMA spokesman, Mike McCormick, said it's normal for the agency to take several days to determine if a county is eligible for assistance.

"It took teams on the ground to look at the damage and to sort out the insured from the uninsured," McCormick said, adding that the agency could still approve more counties for aid.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy said he hopes one of those counties is his.

"When a tree just went through your roof, you don't have the luxury of waiting for bureaucracy to grind your application through a several-month process," he said. "You need relief immediately."

Among the Suffolk business owners who would like access to the federal aid is Lynne Dougherty, owner of Cornucopia Natural Foods in Sayville. She lost about $20,000 worth of goods when her gourmet health food store went four days without electricity. Power returned Thursday morning, marking the beginning of a long cleanup process for Dougherty, who sells organic produce and freshly prepared foods.

Dougherty said a low-interest loan could help her store recover. "I would like to know that the option was available," she said.

For more information on applying for federal assistance, visit DisasterAssistance.gov or call FEMA at 800-621-3362.