NY state lawmaker seeks Hurricane Ida relief fund for Long Islanders

PORT WASHINGTON, Long Island (WABC) -- A New York state lawmaker was joined by residents on Long Island Friday to call for the creation of a Hurricane Ida Relief Fund to provide resources to those still devastated by the 2021 storm.

Assemblywoman Gina Sillitti was joined by storm victims from Port Washington, Great Neck and Herricks who are still cleaning up with no recourse after the devastating storm impacted residents throughout the region.

Sillitti said insurance companies and FEMA have not provided adequate funding, leaving tens of thousands of dollars in out of pocket expenses for impacted residents.

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The event was held at Hassan Imam's home in Port Washington to demonstrate the impact the storm had on the area.

Imam's home was damaged by a massive mudslide during Ida, and the mud still surrounds the house to the point where he is unable to access parts of his home.

Sillitti said it serves as a visual representation of the effects Ida had on Long Island and why these residents are in such desperate need of relief funding.

Imam and other residents detailed their encounters with the storm, as well as the steps taken -- to no avail -- to return to normalcy.

Many homeowners who lived nowhere near flood zones found themselves wading in disaster. And another problem? They had no flood insurance because of where they lived.

And FEMA barely paid. Sharon Kuo's house in Manhasset sustained $40,000 in damage. FEMA paid $4,000 and insurance paid nothing.

Now state lawmakers are trying to bridge the gap. The New York State Assembly is set to vote on what could be a $50 million appropriation for a new Ida Relief Fund..

"Ida was an exception and everybody got flooded and even if you did have flood insurance, it didn't cover everything," Sillitti said.

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