Governor lays out plans for Sandy relief aid

Gov. Andrew Cuomo put forth his ideas Tuesday on how to use the first batch of federal aid dollars to help New York fix damage caused by both Superstorm Sandy and tropical storm Irene.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development invited New York to give details on how it would spend the first $1.7 billion in approved funding for homes and small businesses that suffered damage by Sandy last year and Irene in 2011.

In his plan, Cuomo, a former HUD chairman, proposed using that money to fund grants, low-interest loans and repair programs for the millions of affected New Yorkers.

"This plan was put together with the input of homeowners and small businesses in affected communities, and it will serve as a blueprint to guide our housing and private sector recovery," he said in a statement.

The governor put more details of his proposal to the feds at http://www.nyshcr.org/Publications/.

Congress approved $30 billion for New York's Sandy relief package in January. Cuomo said the housing and small business plans are just the part of the ongoing rebuilding efforts that the state will undertake in the coming months.