ALBANY – The price tag connected to the damage caused by Superstorm Sandy in New York State is going to be steep. According to a report yesterday from the Associated Press, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday said he planned to request $30 billion in federal aid to rebuild after Sandy, which heavily damaged parts of New York City and Long Island.
Cuomo said his administration will seek a supplemental appropriation to cover infrastructure, repair and emergency costs beyond those normally covered by federal emergency aid, adding that he’s asked for 100 percent reimbursement.
Generally the Federal Emergency Management Agency –or FEMA – will reimburse up to 75 percent of public costs. The state and local authorities are required to cover the remaining 25 percent. There have been cases, such as Hurricane Katrina, where the federal government has reimbursed up to 90 percent of costs.
Not only would the federal Aid help in the recovery from Sandy, but it would also help cover the cost of improvements – like upgrading the power grid to help utilities find and fix outages. It would also upgrade New York City’s fuel supply capacity to help prevent consumer shortages and bring new oil and gas pipelines from New England to reduce dependence on shipping the fuel.
Last week, Cuomo said the storm would cost New York state $33 billion and he was counting on a commitment from the Obama administration for reimbursement for many public costs of rebuilding.
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