Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery announces completion of $3 million Emergency Preparedness Project in Tioga County 

The Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR) recently announced the completion of a $3 million infrastructure project they state will improve emergency response and protect residents in the village of Owego in Tioga County. The investment relocated and reconstructed a municipal facility that provides crucial services to an area outside the floodplain. 

Executive Director of GOSR Katie Brennan stated, in a prepared release, “Municipal facilities often serve as a critical lifeline for New Yorkers during times of emergency, but they can be rendered useless if not properly protected. Through our grassroots and neighborhood-driven development process, we are ensuring residents across the state can receive help when they need it most while also strengthening the resiliency of communities like Owego so they can better adapt to the effects of our changing climate.” 

During both Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, storm waters inundated communities across upstate New York, including Owego. Rain saturated wetlands and flooded waterways, destroying homes, businesses, and infrastructure. High water flowed through communities for three days following Irene. 

Local park maintenance, sewer and water, and highway maintenance buildings flooded, hampering critical municipal services and hindering the community’s recovery. The flooding also released stored fuel, salt, and sand into the environment, causing contamination, according to the release from the GOSR on May 2.

The GOSR project consolidated severely damaged buildings into a new 33,181-square foot facility that is located outside the village’s floodplain. The new building will allow for uninterrupted municipal services during emergencies and other events. In addition to the facilities it replaced, it will also be used as a staging area for first responders and utility companies to safely provide essential services during and after storms. 

Senator Fred Akshar stated, “Keeping our residents safe and secure from weather events remains an essential responsibility for local and state government alike, and the Fuller Hollow Creek project helps both do that job.” 

Tioga County Legislative Chair and New York State Association of Counties President, Martha Sauerbrey, stated, “This project will improve our community’s emergency preparedness and resiliency by ensuring essential municipal services and first responders can operate safely. Thank you to the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery and Village of Owego for working to move this project forward.” 

The Village of Owego Mayor, Michael Baratta III, stated, “We thank the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery for their partnership in advancing this project to improve our emergency preparedness and our resiliency.” 

Established in June 2013, GOSR coordinates statewide recovery efforts for Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene, and Tropical Storm Lee. Through its NY Rising Housing Recovery, Small Business, Community Reconstruction, Infrastructure, and Rebuild by Design programs, GOSR invests $4.5 billion in federal Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funding to better prepare New York for extreme weather events. More information about GOSR and its programs is available at http://stormrecovery.ny.gov/.  

Through the NY Rising Community Reconstruction (NYRCR) and Infrastructure Programs, the State takes on a variety of initiatives developed during its bottom-up community planning process to improve resiliency, protect critical infrastructure, mitigate the risks of loss and damage associated with future disasters, and reduce hardship.  

Now in the implementation stage, GOSR works with a variety of municipal, county, and non-profit partners to bring hundreds of locally devised proposals to fruition.