*****UPDATE***** For Immediate Release: For More Information: July 8, 2013 Cat Manion, 315-527-7292 Nancy Pattarini, 315-527-2213 HerkimerEOC@paigegroup Herkimer County Emergency Operations Center Issues Recovery Update for Residents of Impacted Areas Herkimer County has launched a website to capture all available information for its residents. For more information, visit herkimerflood.org. As recovery efforts continue across Central New York, The Herkimer County Emergency Operations Center has issued the following revised announcements for residents of the impacted areas: BOIL WATER ORDERS Residents in the following areas are advised to boil their water: • Village of Mohawk • Van Hornesville in Town of Stark • Leather Stocking Mobile Home Park in Town of German Flatts HUMAN SERVICES TDAP VACCINATIONS Free Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis (Tdap) vaccinations will be available Monday, July 8, to responders, residents, and recovery workers in Herkimer county impacted by the recent severe weather. The vaccinations will be available at the following location and hours: Village of Herkimer – Herkimer County Municipal Office Building 301 N Washington Street, Herkimer 2p.m. – 3:45p.m. Additional information about Tdap can be found at the CDC’s website: cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/vis-statements/td-tdap.html Points of Distribution (PODs, Multi-Agency Operated) • Village of Herkimer, Fire Department, 125 North Washington Street o Water, Dry ice (PM only), Food Station provided between Washington and Mohawk Streets, Hours of Operation: 8a.m. – 5p.m. • Village of Mohawk, Mohawk Fire Department, 28 Columbia Street o Water, Dry ice (PM only), Food Station provided between Henry and West of Columbia Streets. • Van Hornesville, Owen D Young School 2316 State Highway 80 Herkimer, NY o Water, MREs, Hours of operation: 6 a.m. – 6 p.m. Salvation Army The Salvation Army has mobile vehicles operating in the county, providing food, water, and other human services. Residents can also visit the following distribution sites until further notice: Village of Herkimer –Salvation Army office, 431 N. Prospect Street (315-866-1240) • Coffee and drinks 9 a.m. to noon • Hot Lunch noon to 2 p.m. • Hot Dinner 6p.m. to 8 p.m. Village of Mohawk—Salvation Army, Vacant Lot at E. Main Street and Bellinger Street next to the Family Dollar • Coffee and Drinks 9a.m. to noon • Lunch noon to 2 p.m. • Dinner 5 p.m. until gone America Red Cross The American Red Cross continues to have emergency response vehicles (ERVs) operating in the area to provide food, clean-up and comfort kits, and other human services. For information on additional Red Cross activities in the area, or to provide a donation, call the American Red Cross of the Mohawk Valley in Utica at 315-733-4666. DEBRIS REMOVAL Trash services are operating on pre-storm conditions. For information on your municipality’s debris removal procedures, contact your municipal supervisor or Department of Public Works (DPW). For information on those individuals, visit herkimercounty.org/content/Generic/View/5. If moving debris, please ensure it is not obstructing traffic operations or covering drainage grates. If homeowners have questions regarding hazardous material disposal or on-site concerns, they should contact the New York State Spill Hotline at 1-800-457-7362. Cleaning and sanitizing your household after an emergency is important to help prevent the spread of illness and disease. First, wash surfaces with soap and warm, clean water to remove dirt and debris. Next, sanitize surfaces with household bleach. It is critical to read and follow the safety instructions on any product you use. Below are the most important safety guidelines when using sanitizing products: • Never mix bleach with ammonia or any other cleaner. • Wear rubber or other non-porous boots, gloves, and eye protection. • Try not to breathe in product fumes. If using products indoors, open windows and doors to allow fresh air to enter. INFORMATION FOR FARMERS The Farm Service Agency in Herkimer County will be requesting funding for the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP). ECP provides cost share assistance to producers for practices such as: • Debris removal from farmland caused by a natural disaster to return the land to agricultural use • Grading, shaping, releveling or similar measures to land that has been damaged by a natural disaster to return the land to agricultural use • Corrects damage to fences caused by natural disaster • Restoring Conservation Structures and other Installations Damage to Crops Crop losses should be reported to the appropriate crop insurance agency. If damage has occurred to crops with coverage under the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), all losses must be reported within 15 calendar days of the disaster event or from the time the loss becomes apparent. Anyone with or without crop insurance or NAP coverage should file a failed or prevented planting acreage report with the local FSA office to document the losses. Livestock Losses All livestock losses should be reported to the Farm Service Agency. Emergency Loans Emergency Loans may be available once a disaster has been declared by the President or Secretary. More information will be forthcoming. For specifics, please contact Marcy Farm Loan Team at 315-736-3316. For more information or to document losses, contact the Farm Service Agency at 315-866-2520. DEC PERMITS For information regarding on the storm recovery changes made to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation permits, visit dec.ny.gov/permits/89343.html or call 315-793-2555, Monday through Friday, 9a.m. – 5p.m. POWER Power restoration is continuing throughout the impacted areas. In the Village of Mohawk, there will be low energy levels for some time. Please use power sparingly and only for essential purposes. Essentials include: hot water heaters, lights, and refrigerators (please no air conditioners). In an effort to restore electricity to storm-damaged areas as quickly as possible, National Grid will reimburse a New York State licensed electrical inspector for the electrical inspection required before service restoration at a home or business. It is limited to one electrical inspection per property, and is available to all National Grid electric or natural gas customers in flooded areas. For information about this inspection program, please call 1-800-260-0054. National Grid still has operations set up at the following locations handing out restoration and energy efficiency program information and restoration kits: The Village of Herkimer Fire Department, 125 N Washington St, Herkimer, NY 13350. ALWAYS ASK RECOVERY WORKERS FOR PROPER IDENTIFICATION – NATIONAL GRID EMPLOYEES WILL NEVER ASK FOR PAYMENT UP FRONT IF YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE VALIDITY OF ANY INDIVIDUAL OFFERING HOME REPAIR OR THINK YOU MAY BE THE VICTIM OF A SCAM, CONTACT YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICE IMMEDIATELY TOWN OF FAIRFIELD ANNOUNCEMENT There will be a Town Board meeting on Thursday July 11, 2013 at 6 p.m. in the Community Hall. DUST AND POLLEN Due to the levels of dust and pollen released by the floods, particle masks will be supplied to residents starting Monday, July 1. Distribution of the masks will take place at the following locations: • Village of Herkimer Fire Department, 125 N Washington St. Herkimer, 13350 • Village of Mohawk Fire Department, 28 Columbia St. Mohawk, 13407 • Village of Ilion Municipal Building, 49 Morgan St. Ilion, 13357 • City of Little Falls Fire Station, 659 East Main St. Little Falls, NY 13365 • Town of Herkimer at 114 North Prospect Street A MESSAGE FROM THE HERKIMER COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY Herkimer County District Attorney Jeffrey S. Carpenter has received information that certain businesses in the Herkimer County area are engaging in what is commonly known as “price gouging” as a result of the recent flooding. DA Carpenter reminds local businesses that this conduct is prohibited by New York General Business Law section 396-R which allows for the imposition of a civil penalty in an amount not to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars. The District Attorney’s office states that this conduct will not be tolerated and all complaints will immediately be referred to the Office of the Attorney General who prosecutes such offenses. Anyone with information pertaining to this conduct is urged to contact the Herkimer County District Attorney’s Office at 315-867-1155 or the Attorney General’s Office at 315-793-2225. HOW TO DONATE & VOLUNTEER RESPONSIBLY • Monetary donations are the most efficient method of donating – Monetary donations offer voluntary agencies the most flexibility in obtaining the most-needed resources and pumps money into the local economy to help businesses recover. Remember, unsolicited donated goods such as used clothing, miscellaneous household items, and mixed or perishable foodstuffs require helping agencies to redirect valuable resources away from providing services to sort, package, transport, warehouse, and distribute items that may not meet the needs of disaster survivors. • Affiliate with existing non-profit organizations before coming to the disaster area. Immediately following a disaster, a community can become easily overwhelmed by the amount of generous people who want to help. Contacting and affiliating with an established organization will help to ensure that you are appropriately trained to respond in the most effective way. • Be safe. Do not self-deploy until a need has been identified and the local community impacted has requested support. Wait until it is safe to travel to volunteer sites and opportunities have been identified. Once assigned a position, make sure you have been given an assignment and are wearing proper safety gear for the task. • Be patient. Recovery lasts a lot longer than the media attention. There will be volunteer needs for many months, often years, after the disaster - especially when the community enters the long-term recovery period. NYS Flood Helpline: 1-888-769-7243 Hours: Mon-Fri 8a-8p, Weekends 10a-5p Governor Cuomo has ordered the activation of the NYS Flood Helpline to aid residents affected by widespread flooding across areas of New York State. New Yorkers can call the helpline for assistance, including important local contact information for health and safety tips, locations of tetanus shots, what to do in case of an oil spill or power outage, mental health assistance, and for other recovery needs as well. Life threatening emergencies should be reserved for 911. After a disaster it is important to take special action with food, water, hygiene, cleaning, and other recovery efforts. For recommended actions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevent (CDC), visit emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/floods/ ###
Posted on: Mon, 08 Jul 2013 18:37:53 +0000