The village of Owego received good news on Wednesday. New York State Hazard Mitigation Project manager Marlene White sent the village letters stating that three Hazard Mitigation Grants for which the village had submitted have been reviewed by the Office of Emergency Management, and have now been sent to FEMA for their review. The three grant projects reviewed were for nine substantially damaged buy-outs, two non-substantially damaged buy-outs, and eleven structural elevations. The village also received notice that Governor Cuomo has submitted the state’s proposal for housing and business recovery programs to the U.S. Housing and Urban Development department, in order to help New Yorkers devastated by Tropical Storm Lee. Housing and Urban Development must approve the state’s proposed programs before the state is able to distribute the funds to eligible New Yorkers. A seven-day review process by HUD began on Wednesday.
