Cuomo, Gillibrand Call on USDA to Send Emergency Food for Flood Victims

As heavy rain and flooding leaves hundreds of upstate New Yorkers in the Mohawk Valley and surrounding communities without shelter or access to food, U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand are calling on the USDA to implement emergency food resources.

Specifically, the Senators are calling for an extension for replacement Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for 30 days in disaster-affected counties, approval to implement a Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as soon as possible, along with additional resources from the Emergency Food Assistance Program to counties hit the hardest.

Herkimer, Oneida, Madison and Montgomery Counties have been hit particularly hard by the heavy rainfall of June 27 and June 28. At the height of the storms, over 13,000 New Yorkers were without power, including the entire village of Herkimer.

Areas in the Southern Tier and the Hudson Valley were also impacted and are in need of aid.