More Resources Made Available For New Yorkers Cleaning Up From Flooding, Damage Caused By Ida's Remnants
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Clean-up continues across the Tri-State Area, including in New York City, where more resources have been made available for those affected by the remnants of Hurricane Ida.
CBS2's Cory James spoke to a Queens mom who is dealing with what many other New Yorkers are facing after Wednesday's deadly storms.
"The water was, like, knee deep ... The water came from the toilet, from the tub, from the sink," she said. "I'm very lucky. We're lucky, but ... this is hard, knowing that you have to ask for help."
She got that help at a Woodside public school that became a service center, sending those impacted home with things like supplies to clean up the damage.
New York City's Office of Emergency Management says in addition to kits, critical resources are being offered.
"They can talk to DOB, they can talk to HPD, depending on whether they're a renter or an owner ... They can get some advice on combating mold. They can talk to a mental health counselor from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. We bring all these services together under one roof so that clients don't have to look around the city for all these different services during a long period of time," said Christopher Pagnotta, with the OEM.
IDA'S IMPACT:
- More Than 3 Dozen People Killed When Flood Waters Sweep Tri-State; De Blasio Announces New Storm Evacuation Plan
- President Biden To Survey Ida Storm Damage In Queens And Manville, New Jersey
- Gov. Murphy Visits Storm-Ravaged Neighborhood In Piscataway, Says He's Working With Biden Administration To Secure Federal Aid
- What Do You Do If You Didn't Have Flood Insurance Before The Storm Hit?
- Complete Coverage
Charlie Balgobin showed CBS2 his basement, where he had to rip up newly installed hardwood and place it all in large trash bags because of the heavy flooding. He estimates there was about $40,000 in damages.
He didn't know about the free assistance right across the street from his home, but he plans to get it first thing Sunday morning.
"Let's hope they give us some good assistance," he said.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and local leaders saw some of the damages firsthand while touring 218th Street in Inwood on Saturday.
It's an area not too far from Rhashan Del, who says he had nearly six feet of water in his house.
While he's happy New York City is placing service centers in all five boroughs, he hopes more support is on the way.
"I really need some financial help," he said. "I have hot water heater damage. I probably have furnace damage in the thousands of dollars."
IDA RESOURCES: How To Report Damage, Find Shelter, Food, Mental Health Support & More
FEMA says right now, damage assessments are being made in the hardest hit areas of New York and New Jersey, and they hope to be done by the end of the day Saturday.
After that, FEMA says the states will aggregate the data and submit a request to the president for a major disaster declaration.
Once that happens, FEMA can deploy help.
Meanwhile, we've learned President Joe Biden will arrive to tour the damage in New Jersey and Queens on Tuesday.
