skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina s congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Myorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Slow Going: Much Federal, NY Sandy Relief Aid Still in Pipeline

play audio
Play

Tuesday, August 27, 2013   

DEER PARK, N.Y. - Communities around New York are expecting final sign-offs shortly on requests to FEMA for help in recovering from damage done by Hurricane Sandy the better part of a year ago. Congress approved over $60 billion in emergency spending for the agency in January, and the money to rebuild homes and public facilities is on its way now; it had been delayed by partisan bickering in Congress.

According to Teresa Regnante of United Way Long Island, it took strong words last winter from New York Congressman Peter King, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and others, to break the fiscal logjam caused by conservatives on Capitol Hill.

"After Katrina, funds were awarded through a Congressional appropriation, like in the first two or three weeks," Regnante pointed out. "Whereas, for this disaster, for the Northeast, funds were awarded three months after."

According to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, by November - a full year after Sandy - only 15.2 percent of federal disaster dollars will have been spent. After Katrina, in that time period, more than 50 percent had been spent. Concern about scandals in the wake of Katrina has contributed to a more cautions pace post-Sandy.

Regnante said projects such as the New York Rising Community Reconstruction Program, designed by the state to implement locally-created and federally-funded rebuilding strategies, are also under way.

"There have been over 25,000 Long Islanders who've filled out the short form and they're now moving to fill out the long form," she said. "So there are interview processes; we know that there are families already at second stage of interview process."

In addition, Friday is the deadline for organizations that provide health and human services to apply for money from a $200 million Sandy block grant fund from the state.

The slow pace of disbursal of federal money makes the doling out of private and individual contributions, already in progress, all the more significant. Regnante has a hands-on role in that process.

"I would say between the not-for-profit sector, we have helped well over 5,000 families together."

Long Islanders who believe they may be eligible for Sandy-related relief are encouraged to call 211 for advice and information.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021