ALBANY – Assemblyman Clifford W. Crouch (R,I-Guilford) recently announced that $9 million in flood-mitigation grants will be awarded through the NY Works program to 23 counties to help restore and rehabilitate town and county waterways that were severely impacted by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. Crouch worked to secure flood-mitigation funding during this year’s budget negotiations.

“I am proud to have worked with Governor Andrew Cuomo and my colleagues to deliver flood assistance for the areas affected by flooding,” said Crouch, the Assembly Minority Conference’s representative on the Joint Budget Conference Committee for Environment, Agriculture and Housing, where he sought funding for the program. “Through the NY Works program, we are able to get the funding to the counties that need it for stream maintenance, stabilization and waterway-rehabilitation projects. This money can help to rebuild struggling communities and mitigate future flood issues.”

According to the Governor’s office, New York State is providing an additional $7 million in funding so counties can meet their 25 percent non-federal match requirements for eligible stream-restoration projects through the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Altogether, $16 million from New York State is expected to generate $44 million in federal and local funding to complete emergency watershed-protection and flood-reduction projects in 26 counties.