Gov. Kathy Hochul visited the Steuben County village of Canisteo Sunday as it recovers from damage by Debby and announced emergency assistance will be made available.
"Just 48 hours ago, this beautiful, tight-knit community, filled with love and friendship and neighbors, experienced the unthinkable," Hochul said.
Hochul said it was "miraculous" that there were no fatalities or major injuries reported.
The New York State Department of Financial Services Disaster Hotline has been activated and can be reached at 1-800-339-1759. Mobile vans will also be sent to assist residents in applying for insurance.
Grants of up to $50,000 to help pay for the reimbursement of expenses related to the storm that aren't covered by insurance will be available to those who qualify.
"We are going to squeeze every single federal dollar out of the government we can," Hochul said. "I've already alerted the White House to expect our calls. But we have to assess the damage first."
The county's Office of Emergency Management said that water bottles and clean-up kits will be available to residents impacted by flash flooding.
Water bottles will be distributed Monday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at:
Canisteo Fire Department – 14 S. Main Stz, Canisteo
Woodhull Fire Department - 5193 W. Main St., Woodhull
Greenwood Fire Department - 1574 Andover St., Greenwood
The United Methodist Committee on Relief will also be distributing clean-up kits at the Woodhull Fire Department at 5193 W. Main St. from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday.
Steuben County is asking those dealing with storm damage to report it to 211 so they can get residents in contact with an organization that can assess their needs.
The county also asks individuals and businesses that wish to help those affected by the flooding to make monetary donations to the Steuben County Flood Relief Fund. This will assist nonprofit agencies in helping local flood victims. The fund is administered by the United Way of the Southern Tier.
The governor said that Tuscarora Creek flash flooding caused significant damage to the Jasper-Troupsburg High School. The school was shut down three years ago due to flood damage and was on the verge of reopening, Hochul said.
"We've had an historic number of tornados [and] historic flooding [and] historic extreme heat," she said. "And we haven't even hit the winter yet, but we've had historic snowfall the last couple of years. I don't like making history like that. But this is our new normal."
Hochul says one local farm lost over 400 acres of corn, 200 acres of soybeans and hundreds of acres of hay and equipment. She also reported that waters were so strong that they moved a double-wide mobile home against a bridge.
The Homes and Community Renewal agency will launch a emergency repair program for homeowners in Allegany, Delaware, Franklin, Steuben and St. Lawrence counties that were impacted by the storm, the governor said.
The governor says swift water rescue teams from around the state came to assist local emergency teams. Over 100 members of the New York National Guard were also activated.
Hochul says she will head to North Country early this week to survey storm damage there.