Federal disaster declaration for December blizzard is 'huge' for local governments that spent millions
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An abandoned car is covered in snow on Main Street in Buffalo on Dec. 27, 2022.
Overtime. Equipment. Supplies. Fuel.
Those are just some of the expenses the disaster declaration from President Biden may help Buffalo and Erie County recoup from the Christmas weekend blizzard.
“It truly is important. We’re a struggling city. The impact of the storm was pretty devastating,” said Buffalo Common Council Member Rasheed N.C. Wyatt, who represents the University District and heads the Council’s Finance Committee. “This is really important to help us as far as kind of steadying the ship for the city because that storm really took a lot out of the city as far as our finances. So it’s crucially important that we get those funds.”
The City of Buffalo spent $10.2 million in response and cleanup efforts from the blizzard, said Buffalo Comptroller Barbara Miller-Williams.
County Executive Mark Poloncarz publicly thanked Biden on Thursday for the disaster declaration, saying it will relieve some of the financial burden for the county, which has sustained close to $20 million in storm-related response efforts, including snow removal costs and damage reimbursement.
"This is not just a benefit for Erie County," he said. "It's a benefit for every community that had to fight the blizzard because your expenses will be reimbursed at least 75%."
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will designate what is eligible for reimbursement among public expenses, said city spokesman Michael J. DeGeorge. City officials are still waiting on New York State and the FEMA officials for more information on the program.
“We know the broad strokes of the federal declaration, but we’re still waiting on guidance from the federal government,” DeGeorge said.
“We will apply for any and all assistance made available in relation to the blizzard,” he added.
County Budget Director Robert Keating said FEMA will review all of the expenses that governments are claiming as blizzard-related costs and may disqualify some as ineligible. The lengthy process means the county will not see FEMA reimbursement until some time next year.
The money cannot be used to cover damage-related expenses incurred by private residents or businesses but will cover damage to government buildings, equipment and infrastructure, Poloncarz said. Any county expenses not covered by the federal government can be covered by the county's own budget surplus funds, he said, though he noted that this may not be the case for smaller local governments.
Mayor Byron Brown’s administration expects grants and loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration and FEMA will be in place to assistant residents, “but we’re still waiting on final guidance and further announcements,” DeGeorge said.
The blizzard gripped the region starting on Dec. 23, with powerful winds and deep snow limiting recovery efforts for days. The storm dropped 50 inches of snow at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport between Dec. 23 and 26 and left 47 people dead.
City officials said the disaster declaration is much needed.
The federal disaster funding is a testament to how significant the storm was, said Council President Darius G. Pridgen.
“It shows, especially for our citizens, just how expensive and dangerous this storm was,” Pridgen said. “For the federal government to send millions of dollars for storm (relief) is significant, and it doesn’t happen without a lot of research from the federal government to measure the impacts of the storm.”
“It’s huge,” said Niagara Council Member and Majority Leader David A. Rivera. “Anytime we get assistance, whether it’s the ARP (American Rescue Plan) or this disaster funding that we’re getting, it helps pay the cost of just operating the city during those times. It means that we’ll be better able to pay the cost of operating during the blizzard: the snow removal, the equipment, the contracts, the overtime, hopefully, for some of the equipment that was damaged during the blizzard.”
Miller-Williams also welcomed the news of the federal disaster declaration for Buffalo, but she cautioned about the city relying too much on one-shot infusions of financial aid.
“Without the reimbursement of funds from the blizzard, the prospect of maintaining the economic trajectory from the prior fiscal year would not be possible. That said, as I have stated in the past, the city must be very cautious about relying on one time federal and state monetary sources of income,” Miller-Williams said.
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Gov. Kathy Hochul, along with state and local representatives in Washington, D.C., sought the declaration for weeks.
Sen. Charles E. Schumer made a personal appeal to Biden. Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand and Reps. Brian Higgins and Nick Langworthy also had been urging a federal disaster declaration for the region. Poloncarz added his request for the declaration when he met last month with Biden in Washington, D.C., during the National Association of Counties conference.
Poloncarz also criticized FEMA's general reluctance to provide disaster relief for snow-related weather emergencies.
"Just because it's not a tornado or it's not a hurricane doesn't mean it wasn't a disaster," Poloncarz said, recounting the 47 deaths in Erie and Niagara counties attributed to the blizzard and the complete shutdown of many parts of the region. "I don't understand the FEMA 'no dough for snow' type of attitude."
