Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that grants will give Montgomery and Hamilton counties almost $750,000 combined to help fix local waterways and infrastructure damaged by flooding and storms.
Through the NY Works program, almost $9 million will be awarded to 23 counties that suffered damaged from Tropical?Storm Irene and Tropical Storm Lee late last summer.
In addition, the state also will give $7 million in funding so counties can meet the 25 percent non-federal match requirements they need to be eligible for federally-funded stream restoration projects through the USDA Natural Resources Conversation Service.
Montgomery County received $409,000 in grants and more than $9 thousand in matching funds, while Hamilton County received more than $324,000 in grants.
"NY Works funding is critical to rebuilding our infrastructure and creating jobs across the state," Cuomo said in a news release. "Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee were two of the most devastating floods in New York's history, and this grant funding and the assisting match funds are important components of the overall, on-going flood recovery effort and should help communities across the state address the most immediate flood impacts and assist in mitigating future flood damage."
Montgomery County Emergency Management Director Dwight Schwabrow was hesitant to answer how and where the money would be spent in Montgomery County.
"We would need to do more research," he said.
Hamilton County Emergency Management Director Don Purdy II said he was not prepared to comment on the grants.
Examples of projects that could be funded by the grants include removing debris and gravel from culvert pipes and bridges, and restoring stream channels to their pre-flood dimensions, a news release said.