Hurricane Ida funding: Homeowners, governments can access $20 million for repairs, Hochul says

Crews work on trying to clear abandoned cars and flooding... — Crews work on trying to clear abandoned cars and flooding from Hurricane Ida on Hillside Avenue in Herricks on Sept. 2, 2021. Credit: Howard Schnapp

By Robert Brodskyrobert.brodsky@newsday.com @BrodskyRobertUpdated September 1, 2023

Two years after Hurricane Ida swept through Long Island, swamping the region in historic rainfall and flash flooding, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $20 million in state funding to help communities and homeowners rebuild.

The governor announced that a $15.6 million request for proposals is now available to nonprofits to help homeowners on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley make storm damage repairs and to seek reimbursement from work already completed. Families that earn 80% or less of the median income in their area will be prioritized for eligibility, officials said.

An additional $4 million is available through an RFP to help local governments with technical assistance and planning funds to begin projects to make communities more resilient to future storms.

Proposals for both RFPs are due by Oct. 27.

“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,” Hochul said on the two-year anniversary of Ida.

The programs will be open to counties outside New York City with a presidential disaster declaration for individual assistance, including Nassau, Suffolk, Orange, Rockland, Dutchess and Westchester counties. New York City, where 13 people died in the storm, is administering its own recovery program.

Ida made landfall in New York on Sept. 1, 2021, flooding roadways, disrupting travel and forcing residents to abandon their vehicles and homes as floodwaters rose. Meanwhile, the Great Neck Long Island Rail Road station was transformed into "Niagara Falls" as storm waters flowed onto the tracks below, Hochul said during a visit the next day.

"Two years ago I visited residents across my district devastated by the effects of Hurricane Ida and I promised I would not forget them," said Assemb. Gina Sillitti (D-Manorhaven). “Last year one of my top priorities was securing money in the state budget to provide resources to those struggling to rebuild after the damage caused by the storm."

In the coming weeks and months, additional RFPs will be open for the Affordable Housing Resiliency program, which will target public and affordable housing complexes affected by the storm, and the Renters Resilient Housing program, which will assist renters and small landlords whose units were damaged during Ida.