Rep. Elise Stefanik, North Country leaders urge disaster declaration following July 10 flooding

THREE WEEKS AFTER OUR REGION was flooded... OFFICIALS IN ESSEX COUNTY, NEW YORK ARE asking for the federal government to see the damage and help. NBC5'S BENNY NEZAJ TELLS US MORE ABOUT THE HELP THEY NEED. (áááNAT SOUNDááá) áCONSTRUCTION NOISEá (á(áááVOááá) THE IMPACT OF THE JULY 10TH FLOODING AND OTHER RECENT STORMS CONTINUES TO BE FELT ACROSS ESSEX COUNTY, NEW YORK THIS WEEK, NORTHERN NEW YORK CONGRESSWOMAN ELISE STEFANIK SENT A LETTER TO GOVERNOR HOCHUL URGING HER TO REQUEST A DISASTER DECLARATION TO FEMA TO HELP RECOVER FROM THE DAMAGES FROM THE JULY 10TH STORM. THE GOVERNOR HAS REQUESTED A DISASTER DECLARATION FOR FIFETEEN OTHER COUNTIES IN THE STATE. BUT ESSEX COUNTY IS NOT ONE OF THEM, MULTIPLE ESSEX COUNTY TOWN SUPERVISORS SAY THEY DESPERATLEY NEED FEMA ASSISTANCE. (áááPHONER SOT STILLááá) CATHLEEN REUSSER TOWN SUPERVISOR, ELIZABETHTOWN "We have estimates in excess of $6 million in damages. The town of Elizabethtown annual budget is 1.8 million and some change and we just financially cannot tolerate that level of indebtedness." (áááPHONER SOT STILLááá) MATTHEW BRASSARD TOWN SUPERVISOR, MORIAH "We're probably going to spend around $1.5 million, which is a substantial amount of money for a small town. And without that FEMA reimbursement, it's not going to be good for the budget." (áááVOááá) THE TOWN OF ESSEX WAS HIT HARD BY THE STORM. TOWN SUPERVISOR KEN HUGHES WORRIES THA STORMS LIKIKE THE ONE IN JULY ARE BECOMING THE SUPERVISOR, ESSEX "The storms that we're getting now are more torrential rain. It's a lot more rain in a shorter amount of time. The ground can handle that. It becomes saturated. Then we have the flooding, and we have the erosion events that we do receive." (áááVOááá) THE GOVERNOR HAS ANNOUNCED 5 MILLION DOLLARS IN STATE FUNDING FOR HOMEOWNERS WHO SUFFERED DAMAGE FROM LAST MONTH'S STORM (áááNAT SOUNDááá) áCONSTRUCTION NOISEá (áááVOááá) BUT AS CLEAN UP CONTINUES. LOCAL LEADERS ARE THANKFUL FOR THE PUSH TO RECEIVE FEDERALASSISTANCE AND ARE ALREADY BUILDING BACK BETTER. (áááSOTááá) KEN HUGHES TOWN SUPERVISOR, ESSEX "We're very resilient people up here in the North country, and we're going to do whatever we can to make