Saturday will mark the one-year anniversary of Tropical Storm Irene touching down in New York, leaving a trail of destruction in its path throughout the Catskills and parts of the Hudson Valley.
Today, top aides to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his cabinet members highlighted the state’s response in a news conference, touting $574 million in state aid that has gone out to municipalities, businesses and homeowners who are still dealing with damage from the storm (as well as Tropical Storm Lee, which struck a week later.)
“We want to mark the devastation that those storms caused here in New York, as well as the unprecedented response efforts, the outpouring of goodwill of New Yorkers that saved many lives and helped communities across the state rebuild,” said Howard Glaser, Cuomo’s director of state operations.
And to mark the occasion, the Cuomo administration released a 23-page glossy report on its response to the storm as well as communities’ recovery efforts. The report—“New York State Responds”—can be read below.
In all, according to the report, the storms caused about $1.5 billion in damage across the state, based on claims that have been filed with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The state, meanwhile, has doled out $574.2 million thus far, though a large chunk of $297 million in transportation infrastructure costs are scheduled to be reimbursed by the federal government.
Below, you can watch part of Glaser’s opening presentation. The report can be read after the jump.
