ALBANY – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that government entities in 19 counties are now eligible for disaster assistance to help pay for emergency response costs and repairs to damaged facilities as a result of the severe flooding that began on June 26.

These counties are: Broome, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Otsego, Rensselaer, Schoharie, Schenectady, Sullivan, Tioga, Tompkins, and Ulster. Eight of these had been approved earlier for emergency work only.

FEMA pays 75 percent of the approved costs and Governor Pataki has announced that the State of NewYork will pay both the state and local share.

The public assistance program reimburses local government, state agencies, and certain private non-profits.

Work may include the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities including:

• Public roads and bridges not on the Federal Aid System.

• Public water control facilities including dams and drainage channels;