Biden issues federal emergency declaration for Suffolk County

Long Island Morning Edition

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President Joe Biden yesterday issued a federal emergency declaration for Suffolk County to aid disaster relief efforts after catastrophic storms hit Long Island last week, the White House said.

Biden’s declaration opened up the pathway for federal money to be available for certain emergency relief efforts.

With the declaration, Biden specifically enabled the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency "to coordinate all disaster relief efforts, which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population," and to provide "appropriate assistance for required emergency measures," the White House said in a statement. Tiffany Cusaac-Smith reports in NEWSDAY that the emergency relief can go toward protecting vulnerable infrastructure, as well as generally buttressing state and local endeavors, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul's office. The federal government can reimburse up to 75% of certain expenses under a FEMA program.

Last week’s storms caused severe damage in portions of northern Suffolk County, flooding homes and destroying other infrastructure. Suffolk County said there were 2,441 reports of damage to roads and dams as of Saturday. The county's updated figures as of that day show 72 homes sustained major damage. The county has estimated that the total damage sustained from the flooding could be as high as $100 million.

Hochul had issued an emergency declaration for the county on Friday.

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Gov. Kathy Hochul will meet virtually with New York college presidents today as officials try to prevent more campus chaos after spring anti-Israel protests descended into vandalism and violence. Carl Campanile reports in THE NY POST that the “super Zoom” meeting is scheduled for this afternoon and will include presidents from both public and private universities across New York State to discuss safety plans for the new academic year, The Post has learned.

Classes begin this week or after Labor Day for most colleges and officials are on high alert after "Pro-Hamas" demonstrations since October 7th have made many Jewish students concerned for their safety.

“Governor Hochul is committed to ensuring every single college student can learn in a safe environment,” Hochul spokesman Avi Small told The Post yesterday. “To that end, she is convening public and private college presidents from across New York to discuss their safety plans for the upcoming semester and reiterate that there is no place for hate, bias or antisemitism in New York.”

The governor’s office has developed an inter-agency plan to address campus safety, which includes representatives from the executive chamber, New York State Police and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.

Governor Hochul directed her team to work with colleges to ensure a safe return to campuses this term, previously deploying the director of State Operations, Kathryn Garcia, to meet with school leadership to discuss their action plans.

“We want to know your safety plans. What are you doing to get ready to protect your students on campus? Because every student has a right to walk and go to class freely and not be harassed,” Governor Hochul said last week, in anticipation of today’s meeting.

Jewish advocacy groups — the Secure Community Network and Hillel International — recently announced campus safety measures to help protect Jewish students and staff at more than 50 colleges and universities across the country for the fall semester. The training will instruct Jewish students on what to do when confronted by protestors and how to report incidents to police.