East Rockaway files with FEMA

The Village of East Rockaway has filed for federal relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for damage left by Tropical Storm Irene in late August.

FEMA has declared two separate disasters for the storm, enabling public entities such as the Village of East Rockaway to seek reimbursement of expenses related to it.

“The village administration is proactive in all reimbursement opportunities for federally declared disasters affecting the village,” said Mayor Francis T. Lenahan in a statement. “In fact, the village recently recovered in excess of $30,000 for the December 2010 snowstorm.”

According to Lenahan, Declaration FEMA‐3328‐EM‐NY is designated for reimbursement of expenses related to protective measures undertaken for storm preparation. Declaration FEMA‐4020‐DR‐NY is designated for expenses associated with damage to public facilities and vehicles as well as equipment use, labor, and disposal of materials and debris during and after the storm. Both requests for public assistance for the village were filed with the New York State Office of Emergency Management on Sept. 28.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank our emergency management team, led by James Carrigan, for preparing the necessary documentation and filings with FEMA to see that our village is recovering the necessary funds to repair damages to our infrastructure in a timely fashion,” Lenahan’s statement read.

The village’s Office of Emergency Management coordinates all aspects of disaster mitigation, including the FEMA reimbursement process. Damage assessments are undertaken by each village department (the clerk’s office, buildings, public works, and fire and emergency management), while the village engineer assesses damage to roadways, street and curbs, sidewalks, storm basins and storm water management systems. After the initial damage assessments, insurance claims are processed. Expenses not covered by insurance are submitted to FEMA for reimbursement.