WASHINGTON, DC ­– After a weekend of extreme weather that killed several people and left more than half a million New Yorkers without power, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today urged the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide federal assistance to conduct a Preliminary Damage Assessment for Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, Rockland and Orange Counties, and all five boroughs of New York City that were ravaged by this weekend’s storms.

In her letter to FEMA Administrator William Fugate, Senator Gillibrand explained that more than half a million homes and businesses across New York had lost power at some point, and more than 250,000 were still without power. Several people have been killed, countless homes and buildings are ruined, and infrastructure is badly damaged – leaving many families isolated from quick relief. In addition, Long Island’s beaches have taken a substantial hit across the north and south shores, leaving homes, roads and dunes vulnerable.

“New York residents should not be left shouldering all of the costs from this storm.  The federal government must step in immediately to help residents in New York City, Long Island, and the Lower Hudson Valley,” Senator Gillibrand said. “Local utilities have reported that the weekend nor’easter was the worst storm in 20 years. Thousands of trees are down in communities throughout the region, with dramatic cleanup costs in areas that have already sustained significant losses from previous storms.”