FEMA to arrive in western New York

GOWANDA, N.Y. (WIVB) - Governor David Paterson will be touring devastated sections of Silver Creek and Gowanda Wednesday.

News 4 has learned that teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration will be arriving Thursday in Silver Creek and Gowanda, for first-hand assessments of damage to homes, businesses and municipalities.

The hope is that small business loans will become available to home owners desperately trying to pull their lives together.

Governor David Paterson and the State Emergency Management Office have a strategy as they work toward securing federal assistance for storm battered western New York, and a total of 10 counties in the state hit hard by tornadoes and thunderstorms this July 29th. 

SEMO Spokesman Dennis Michalski tells News 4 Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg that $ 26 million, in infrastructure and emergency response costs, is the magic number required for federal aid through FEMA.

Michalski said New York State is linking weather events fom July 29th through August 9th, as part of the "same weather system" that pounded counties in the western, central and eastern parts of the state.  In Gowanda alone, the 7.5 million gallon reservoir was hit hard by Sunday's relentless torrential rain, and may be out of service for a year. The reservoir serves as the Village of Gowanda's water supply.

Major sections of Main Street and side roads buckled and were torn apart when water from clogged creeks and culverts cascaded into the village on Sunday. A $1 million repair job on Zoar Valley Road outside of Gowanda was completely washed away.

Debris and mud-soaked furniture and appliances line the streets of Gowanda in front of homes and pose major health risks.

News 4 will be updating the situation in Silver Creek and Gowanda as the day progresses.