Westchester storm damage fails to meet federal disaster fund criteria

County Executive Andy Spano plans to appeal to President Bush to declare Westchester County a federal disaster area after unusual storms ravaged the region last month.
Spano says as it stands now federal aid for Westchester won?t be forthcoming since the county hasn?t met the federal damage standard of $2.7 million. The damage to some small business owners came during the tornado and subsequent heat wave. Many of those businesses were uninsured. Spano says the county doesn?t have the money to pay for the damage so it will need state and federal aid.
Spano says he sent a letter to President Bush urging him to include Westchester with an already existing disaster declaration for upstate New York. If the president complies, it could mean millions of dollars in aid for businesses and homeowners.