Cover photo: Stumps visible for the first time in nearly 200 years after Hurricane Ernesto wiped away the dam at Stump Pond in Blydenburgh Park (Credit – Hector Gavilla)
In a controversial decision, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has denied Governor Kathy Hochul’s (D) request for individual assistance to homeowners affected by the devastating flash floods that struck Suffolk County in August. The storm, which caused widespread damage in Smithtown, St. James, Stony Brook, Centereach, East Setauket, and other communities mostly on the north shore, left residents grappling with costly repairs to their homes.
FEMA’s decision cites that the storm did not meet the “severity” requirements necessary to qualify for individual assistance. While federal funds were approved for repairing destroyed infrastructure, the lack of direct aid to residents has drawn sharp criticism from state officials and community members.
The flash floods wreaked havoc on many neighborhoods, submerging homes and vehicles, flooding basements, damaging foundations, and destroying personal belongings. The effected area is said to have received almost a foot of rain in just a couple of hours, while hamlets like Rocky Point and Sound Beach were hit with six-to-eight-foot mudslides that completely engulfed vehicles. In the weeks following the storm, residents expressed hope that federal assistance would help them recover.
Now, with FEMA’s denial, that hope has been dashed.
Many homeowners are struggling to fund repairs, and some have resorted to taking on significant debt to make their homes livable again. For others, the damage remains unrepaired, leaving families in unsafe or unstable conditions.
Local officials and advocacy groups have condemned FEMA’s decision, arguing that the criteria used to evaluate disasters fail to capture the financial and emotional toll on individual families.
Governor Hochul announced plans to appeal FEMA’s decision, stating that the state would exhaust all options to secure assistance for the storm victims. She has thirty days to file the appeal.
In a statement, Hochul’s office emphasized the importance of federal support in helping New Yorkers recover from disasters, adding that the denial of individual assistance “will be appealed”.
The decision has also sparked broader debates about FEMA’s allocation of resources, with some questioning whether federal funding directed toward migrant assistance programs has affected the agency’s ability to address disaster-related emergencies.
Under the Shelter and Services Program (SSP), established by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, FEMA partners with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to provide shelter and related services for non-citizen migrants. In Fiscal Year 2024, $650 million was appropriated for the SSP, which supports the safe release of migrants from short-term holding facilities. Critics have raised concerns that the prioritization of such programs may detract from FEMA’s core mission of disaster relief for American citizens.
Residents and local officials have voiced their frustration, with some questioning FEMA’s assessment process and its definition of “severity”.
“I’m very, very disheartened that it’s not happening,” said one Suffolk resident, “It’s very sad”.
Local leaders are calling on state and federal representatives to advocate for fairer criteria in evaluating disaster declarations.
As Governor Hochul prepares her appeal, Suffolk County residents are left uncertain about the future. The lack of assistance has amplified calls for reform in FEMA’s disaster relief policies, with many urging the federal government to ensure that communities facing hardship are not left behind. For now, affected families continue to rebuild on their own, hoping that the state’s appeal will bring much-needed relief.
