With shoreline yards and roads along Lake Ontario under water, Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Morelle has introduced his own flood recovery bill that expands on the State Senate Version.
Morelle’s version more than doubles the Senate’s Lake Ontario and St Lawrence River Flood Recovery Program, from a fund of $50 million to $105 million. Forty million dollars would be available to affected property and small business owners, another $40 million to local governments to keep property taxpayers from getting slammed by the unexpected costs and another $25 million for breakwaters and other mitigation steps to hold back the next year of high water.
Morelle says that third step of preparing for the future is critical.
Both the Senate and Assembly versions of the aid bill are based on what was done for property owners slammed by Hurricane Sandy and Tropical Storm Lee a few years ago. They were able to apply for one-time grants to help cover damage insurance didn’t pay for.
The two versions will have to be reconciled.