Yesterday, President Obama declared "major disaster" status for Staten Island and other parts of the state, allowing them to receive federal funding to recover from December's blizzard. The funding will not directly benefit homeowners; it will reimburse costs for temporary and overtime labor as well as the expenses of removing the island's 23 inches of snow. However petitions for funding for th Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn were denied. Were they not disasters as well?
Bloomberg said, "By signing a disaster declaration for Staten Island, President Obama has cleared the way for reimbursement of expenses from December's historic blizzard. We are appreciative of the declaration for Staten Island and the federal reimbursement will help relieve a burden on our snow budget," which we're already $40 million over. However, many news sources say Brooklyn was hit the hardest.
Rep. Michael Grimm (whose district encompasses Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn) said, "I encourage New York City to take full advantage of this program and offer my full assistance in securing funds as needed. It's about time Staten Island got the attention it deserves for disaster relief." Can some of that disaster relief go toward Angelina and keeping her rap song off the air?
