$3M More Coming to Lake Ontario Flooding Victims

By Dave Rosenthal

Nearly $3 million in additional relief funding is going to communities in five upstate New York counties along Lake Ontario to help them recover from last year's flooding.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that the state had awarded the flood relief funds to local governments in Niagara, Orleans, Wayne, Cayuga and Jefferson counties. Cuomo said the funding will be used for ongoing restoration and recovery efforts and to protect communities from future storms.

• The largest single award -- $1 million -- went to the Wayne County town of Wolcott.
• The Orleans County towns of Yates and Kendall received $812,450.
• Niagara County received $558,440, including to the town of Porter and village of Wilson.
• The village of Fairhaven in Cayuga County received $400,000.
• The town of Lyme in Jefferson County received $215,468.

"Our state made a promise and a commitment to the residents, small businesses and local governments of Orleans, Monroe and Niagara counties that we would help them rebuild," state Sen. Robert Ortt said in a prepared statement. "Today, we're taking an important step.

"Significant work remains, especially for recovering homeowners, but these funds will help municipalities rebuild critical infrastructure damaged in last year's flooding and upgrade moving forward. We'll continue to advocate for relief funding until residents, businesses and municipalities receive the resources that they need to rebuild."

The state has committed a total of $95 million to help recovery efforts in a region stretching from where the Niagara River enters the lake to the banks of the St. Lawrence River in northern New York.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.