Secretaries Napolitano and Donovan Visit Long Island

Napolitano: "We are Continuing to Bring Tremendous Resources to Help Those in Need"

LONG ISLAND, N.Y.— Prior to joining the President on his visit to New York today, this morning Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Shaun Donovan traveled to Long Island, N.Y. to meet with state and local officials and discuss ongoing response and recovery efforts to Hurricane Sandy.

Secretaries Napolitano and Donovan reiterated the ongoing support from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), HUD and the rest of the federal family for communities in impacted states, as response and recovery efforts continue.

“On Long Island, and across New York and all the impacted states, the federal government has continued to deploy people, assets, and resources to help communities rebuild and recover,” said Secretary Napolitano.

“We are continuing to bring tremendous resources to help those in need. We are making progress and our commitment is to be here for the duration – to work with impacted communities throughout the region and ensure they emerge even stronger.”

Secretary Donovan added, “As we continue to speed immediate relief to storm victims, we must also look toward long-term recovery of these battered neighborhoods. Working closely with state and local leaders, along with our nonprofit and private sector partners, we’ll do whatever it takes to put these communities back on their feet again.”

Secretaries Napolitano and Donovan visited the Long Beach Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) and met with disaster survivors and state and local officials, to discuss coordination among federal, state and local partners on recovery efforts throughout the region.

DRCs will continue to open in the hardest hit areas to provide information and support to survivors.

Currently 32 DRCs are open in New York. Specialists from the state, FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration are on hand to answer questions and provide information on the types of assistance available to survivors.

President Obama declared a major disaster for New York on Oct. 30. Federal funding is available to affected individuals in the counties of Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Ulster, Sullivan and Westchester.

The first step to receive housing and other assistance is registering for disaster assistance. Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties in New York can apply for assistance online at www.disasterassistance.gov, by web enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). 

Disaster assistance applicants, who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362.  The toll-free telephone numbers are operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week until further notice.

For more information, visit www.fema.gov or www.hud.gov.