New York Governor Kathy Hochul has requested that President Joe Biden issue a federal Emergency Declaration after severe weather ravaged large areas of the Empire State earlier this week.
In her letter to the White House, Hochul described the severe weather that struck 15 counties on July 15-16, including Genesee, Herkimer, Montgomery, Oswego, Oneida, Saratoga, and Schuyler – also mentioning the “unprecedented” number of tornadoes that have ravaged the state so far this month.
“New York has seen an unprecedented 17 confirmed tornados so far this month — more than Oklahoma, Kansas, Alabama, Mississippi, and Iowa combined,” Hochul stated on X, formerly known as Twitter. “As we help communities recover from last week’s severe weather, I’ve requested a federal Emergency Declaration to support our efforts.”
The governor claims that federal assistance is needed to help responders remove debris from roads and repair damaged utilities. Recognizing that more help would be required, the letter also requests that the $5 million cap on government aid be lifted.
