Following is a summary of key federal disaster aid programs that can be made available as needed and warranted under President Donald J. Trump's disaster declaration issued for the state of New York.

Assistance for State, Tribes, and Affected Local Governments Can Include as Required:

WASHINGTON – FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of New York to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, straight-line winds and flooding on Oct. 31, 2019 -- Nov. 1, 2019.

SIOUX FALLS, SD—If you received a letter from FEMA saying you are not eligible for federal disaster assistance, you may wonder what happened. The letter will explain why the decision was made. Missing documentation and not enough damage to essential living space are among the most common reasons one can initially be found ineligible.

Examples of missing documentation may include an insurance settlement letter, proof of residence, proof of ownership of the damaged property or proof that the damaged property was your primary residence at the time of the disaster.

FEMA’s National Flood Insurance is available for homeowners, renters and businesses

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – One month after President Donald J. Trump approved a major disaster declaration for South Dakota because of severe storms, tornadoes and flooding, federal agencies have provided more than $6.5 million in grants and loans to assist in recovery as of Dec. 18, 2019.

In the first 30 days since the Nov. 18 declaration, FEMA has paid more than $3.05 million for home repair and rental expenses and more than $267,500 for repair or replacement of personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, moving expenses and other disaster-related needs.

Oakland, Calif. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has granted $4 million to the San Bernardino County Flood Control District to improve sections of the Rialto flood control channel in southern San Bernardino County. The upgraded channel and two retrofitted storm water detention basins will reduce flood risk by containing peak floodwaters from the San Gabriel Mountains and safely directing those waters to the Santa Ana River.

WASHINGTON – Today, Acting FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor shared holiday travel safety and winter weather preparedness tips on The Weather Channel this morning, as tornadoes hit the southern part of the country and heavy snow and ice pushes northeast.

ORLANDO, Fla. – FEMA has approved $1,241,315 for the State of Florida to help Nassau County defray the cost of repairing beach and dune erosion on South Amelia Island following Hurricane Irma. Funding is provided under FEMA’s Public Assistance Program.

FEMA grant money will allow Nassau county to use contract services to supply, deliver and place 126,050 cubic yards of beach and dune fill to the South Amelia Island shore damaged by the 2017 storm.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – South Dakotans are putting low-interest disaster loans to good use in their recovery from September’s severe storms, tornadoes and flooding.

These federal disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are being used to:

SIOUX FALLS, SD—The Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) in Yankton will close at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019. Specialists in the DRC have been meeting directly with applicants to review their applications. Visits to the center have now slowed, leading to the closing.

South Dakotans who need help will continue to be served:

Sacramento, Calif. – A joint project of the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) makes it easier and less expensive to protect certain types of homes from earthquakes. The two-volume publication titled Vulnerability-Based Seismic Assessment and Retrofit of One- and Two-Family Dwellings is intended to reduce the time needed for design and permitting of seismic retrofits and increase the number of homes that remain livable after an earthquake.

AUSTIN, Texas – FEMA has awarded $1.5 million to Orange County, through the Texas Division of Emergency Management, to fund the elevation of 12 flood-prone homes, impacted by Hurricane Harvey, as part of FEMAs Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP).

Federal grant funding will provide 75% of the cost of this project, and a local match will provide 25%.

GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico – FEMA and the Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience, or COR3, have obligated over $5.4 million in additional funds for 44 projects related to the recovery and reconstruction of Puerto Rico. These funds were obligated between December 5 and December 12.

SIOUX FALLS, SD – Workers who lost their jobs, and self-employed individuals and farmworkers who have been unable to work due to the severe storms, tornadoes and flooding that occurred Sept. 9-26, 2019 may be eligible for disaster unemployment assistance. Funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in coordination with the U.S. Department of Labor, the Disaster Unemployment Assistance program is administered by the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation.

SIOUX FALLS, SD – The State of South Dakota and FEMA have opened a disaster recovery center in Mitchell, Davison County, to offer face-to-face support to individuals and businesses impacted by the severe storms, tornadoes and flooding from September 9 - 26.

Other long-term centers are currently open in Madison, Yankton and Sioux Falls; addresses for open centers can be found at fema.gov/DRClocator or by calling the FEMA Helpline below. The center is located at:

AUSTIN, Texas – The City of Dickinson will benefit from several mitigation improvements as a part of its FEMA Public Assistance (PA) repairs following Hurricane Harvey.

Four PA projects have mitigation measures attached:

SIOUX FALLS, SD – The State of South Dakota and FEMA have opened a disaster recovery center in Minnehaha County to offer face-to-face support to individuals and businesses impacted by the severe storms, tornadoes and flooding from September 9 - 26. The new center is located at:

Southeast Technical Institute
Ed Wood Trade and Industry Center, Rooms 205 and 207
2000 N. Career Ave., Sioux Falls

Hours of Operation are Monday - Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Two more Florida counties affected by Hurricane Dorian are now eligible to apply for federal assistance to help pay for the cost of repairing damaged public infrastructure and responding to the storm.

WASHINGTON — Today, FEMA and its emergency management partners released Aaron Titus’ PrepTalk “Let the Community Lead: Rethinking Command and Control Systems.” In his PrepTalk, Titus challenges emergency managers to acknowledge the limitations of command and control systems and to rethink how we interact with the community.

Titus, the author of “How to Prepare for Everything,” is president of Mountain West VOAD, a group representing Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster in 12 states spanning from Alaska to the Dakotas.