WASHINGTON — The nation’s disaster-relief fund will run out of money by spring due to Hurricane Sandy, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency will need an infusion of cash to keep the recovery going, its administrator said yesterday.
“FEMA programs, by themselves, will not successfully recover from storms the size of Sandy,” FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate told a House committee.
The agency has $4.88 billion remaining in the disaster fund, with about 60 percent of that money slated to go to New York and the balance headed to New Jersey, Fugate said.
So far, the feds have released about $2 billion to states affected by Sandy, he told lawmakers.
Fugate said FEMA’s cash on hand should be enough for disaster-repair projects until spring. But, he added, “We have a lot of challenges to housing needs far beyond the FEMA repair programs.”
Gov. Cuomo has requested $42 billion for Hurricane Sandy recovery, which would include money for FEMA. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have asked for a combined $83 billion.
A special spending bill for hurricane recovery efforts is being crafted by the Obama administration and is expected to be sent to Congress by the end of the week.
Sen. Charles Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand announced yesterday that FEMA approved more than $185 million for NYU’s Langone Medical Center and the New York City Police Department for staffing costs before and after the storm. The NYPD will get $75 million.
“This first round of federal dollars is a down payment on making sure that at least expenses are taken care of,” Schumer said.