Owego awarded federal funding for flood-damaged road, culvert repairs

OWEGO, N.Y. — The Town of Owego will use more than $1 million in federal funding to repair roads and culverts damaged from severe flooding events.

The funding was allocated from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) announced. It was authorized under section 406 of the Robert T. Stafford Act.

“Restoring vital infrastructure damaged in Owego’s 2018 storms will not only mitigate the risk of future flood damage, but also increase economic opportunities and investment,” Schumer said in a statement.

In August 2018, storms eroded the supporting soil under and near the Dutchtown Road culvert, posing an “urgent threat to the health and safety of surrounding communities,” the senators said.

This funding will fix structural concerns, repair infrastructure to its pre-disaster design, and implement measures to prevent damage from future flooding.