North Shore Sun

Sen. Charles Schumer

It was disappointing to learn this week that Sen. Charles Schumer's office had told the Town of Brookhaven that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will likely not provide financial relief to cash-strapped Long Island towns seeking help paying for snow removal this stormy winter.

It was less than two months ago that Mr. Schumer appeared at a press conference at the Brookhaven Town highway yard in Coram to announce he had written FEMA, urging it to declare a snow disaster in Suffolk and Nassau counties for the Dec. 19 blizzard that dropped a record 26.3 inches of white powder on parts of SunLand.

"First responders and emergency workers have done an outstanding job cleaning up after the storm and assisting the people of Long Island get back on track, but they shouldn't be the ones to foot the bill," Mr. Schumer said at the Jan. 12 press conference.

Now it appears that's exactly who will foot the bill, along with the rest of the taxpayers of Brookhaven.

What's particularly troubling is that on Feb. 10 FEMA did declare a "major disaster" for seven counties in New Jersey for the same December storm, meaning FEMA will pay three-quarters of the cost of snow cleanup there.

Brookhaven, meanwhile, had comparable snowfall on Dec. 19 and may not have any help paying the $3 million it cost to clean up the mess and provide safe travel.

Mr. Schumer was quick to let people know he had contacted FEMA to request financial assistance for Long Island and he chose Brookhaven as the place to make that announcement because it was at the center of the storm. But asking for the money is only part of his job. Now it's time for him to step up and demand it.

If FEMA has the funds available to offset the cost of the record snowstorm, it should provide the necessary relief. If it does not, the town, which is in rough financial shape to begin with, may be forced to dip into its reserves to pay the bill.

Brookhaven residents should write Mr. Schumer's Long Island office to urge the senator to follow through on the promise he made just seven weeks ago to secure relief from FEMA:

Sen. Charles Schumer, 145 Pinelawn Road #300 Melville, NY 11747

Mr. Schumer was right; the people of Brookhaven "shouldn't be the ones to foot the bill."