The 2019 Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Flood Relief and Recovery Program that will assist homeowners directly impacted by this year's record breaking Lake Ontario flooding.
First announced by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on August 7, 2019, the program will allocate up to $20 million to expand the home repair program assist homeowners affected by the flooding.
The program, which is administered through New York State Homes and Community Renewal, will provide residents in the impacted eight-county region up to $50,000 in state funding to help offset damages to their primary residences.
The homeowner application period will begin October 1 and will close October 31, 2019.
The 2019 Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Flood Relief and Recovery Program complements the Governor's Lake Ontario Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative, or REDI, through which the State is investing up to $300 million in projects identified by communities in partnership with a multi-agency State commission that will strengthen infrastructure along Lake Ontario's shoreline while bolstering the region's local economies in partnership with a commission of state agency leaders.
Applicants are eligible to receive funding for costs not covered by other sources, such as insurance, and include primary homeowners who reside in the eight counties associated with REDI Cayuga, Jefferson, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Oswego, St. Lawrence and Wayne and meet the below criteria:
Homeowners who were impacted by flooding Jan. 1, 2019 through September 30, 2019 are entitled to apply for funding.
Applications received between October 1, 2019 and October 31, 2019.
Priority will be given to applications that address damage incurred to primary residences which sustained direct physical flood-related damage that threatens the safety of the home.
The Lake Ontario recovery initiative is focused on the resiliency of the shoreline as a whole, and applications that address stand-alone shoreline damage that threatens the safety of a primary residence will be reviewed after funding decisions have been made for projects proposed through the REDI process.
In some cases, these regionally significant projects may provide protections for individual homes.
To sign up for updates and be notified when the application is available, visit HCR's website. ■