Residents and officials in Whitesboro are hopeful a federal grant program could bring some much needed help for flood victims in the village.

"If a homeowner was impacted by the flooding, we want them to be on our list,” said Whitesboro Mayor Bob Friedlander.

The list includes names, addresses and money lost in the storm. It’s data the village will use to help craft a letter of intent to apply for FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, a program designed to help recovering communities.

"It's a very good possibility that there will be buyouts. Can I say absolutely 100 percent? No. But I'm very positive that we will be one of the recipients of the grant,” said Ron Loubier, co-founder of the Whitesboro Water Warriors.

Loubier’s optimism stems from the village’s history of flooding, criteria for HMGP, as well as the findings of the Sauquoit Creek Drainage Study.

"That study is remarkable about how much water we did get down here, and it just helps our cause," said Loubier.

For some homeowners in the village, a buyout feels like one of the only options.

"Right now, we're just living day-to-day and just praying that there's a buyout. We had the house up for sale, but no one's interested, because it needs work, the house needs work,” said Tammy Patterson, a Whitesboro resident who’s still displaced from her home on Sauquoit Street.

The process for the program is as followed: the village sends a letter of intent to Albany, if state officials feel it’s strong enough; it will be given to FEMA for approval. It’s a lengthy process, but it’s been effective in the past.

"The city of Oneida had to do a program similar to this, and they were able to with FEMA, and with the state, put up the funds, it helped buyout many people that had the same problem,” says Friedlander.

Neighbors interested in a buyout should provide information by mid-September.