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Lowey announced that the funds, provided through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance program, will "reimburse the County for 90 percent of the emergency measures taken by the Department of Environmental Facilities to protect the Yonkers Joint Wastewater Treatment Plant from flooding and power outages during and after Hurricane Sandy."
The funds come via the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, a bipartisan bill passed by Congress in Jan. to help states affected by the superstorm.
Lowey, the senior Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, helped lead the bipartisan effort to pass the assistance package.
“Superstorm Sandy devastated our region, taking lives, devastating homes and businesses, and threatening to cripple our region’s infrastructure, including our supply of safe drinking water," she said.
She acknowledged The Yonkers Joint Wastewater Treatment Plant, saying it took a direct hit, and Westchester County went to extreme and costly lengths to keep the plant up and running to protect residents’ health.
The plant endured hurricane-force winds, power outages and widespread flooding.
The plant serves the municipalities of Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, White Plains, Yonkers, Bedford, Greenburgh, Mount Pleasant, Mount Kisco, New Castle, North Castle, Ardsley, Briarcliff Manor, Bronxville, Dobbs Ferry, Elmsford, Hastings, Irvington, Pleasantville, Scarsdale, Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown and Tuckahoe.
To protect the health of residents and provide clean drinking water, the Department of Environmental Facilities operated generators to keep the plant functioning; drained flooded areas; and took other emergency measures, including rewiring, installing bypass systems, and removing sludge to prevent a backup of hazardous waste at the plant.
Lowey announced earlier this month that local governments in Westchester and Rockland counties have received more than $35 million in FEMA Public Assistance grants since Sandy struck last year.
“This badly-needed aid will help ease the financial burden of the County’s Sandy response and limit the impact to taxpayers,” she said.
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