Federal disaster aid in response to September flooding is heading to Brooklyn

President Joe Biden on Wednesday approved Gov. Kathy Hochul’s request for a major disaster declaration to provide federal assistance to Brooklyn as well as Nassau and Westchester counties — all of which were severely impacted by heavy rain and flooding on Sept. 29, 2023.

More than eight inches of rain fell in parts of Brooklyn on that day. Floods were reported from Gowanus to Williamsburg, from Park Slope to East New York. Prospect Park Lake overflowed, inundating the surrounding neighborhoods and flooding basements.

In Park Slope, “water cascaded like Niagara Falls down the steps of the subway station at Grand Army Plaza during the morning rush hour,” reported the Eagle’s Mary Frost at the time.

The MTA reported partial or full shutdowns of at least 14 subway lines, and at least 150 school buildings were flooded. In at least one Brooklyn school, I.S. 78 Roy H. Mann, water got into the boiler system, Schools Chancellor David Banks said at the time.

Some basements were drenched with more than a foot of water, Frost reported, and people were warned not to drive or take buses. Several people were trapped in a basement in Bed-Stuy, but were rescued by emergency services personnel, according to Patch.

The money released along with Wednesday’s disaster declaration will go, in the words of  Governor Hochul’s statement, “to support recovery and reconstruction efforts … including assistance for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and repairs to public buildings and infrastructure.”

Hochul already announced, in December, that the U.S. Small Business Administration is offering low-interest loans to small businesses and individuals in Brooklyn and Nassau County who were impacted by heavy rains and flooding during that late September storm. 

At that time, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso said, “As homes and businesses…