Westchester County Executive George Latimer and Port Chester officials answered questions at a meeting in the village Tuesday night about how residents can find relief from Ida.

LIVE UPDATES: Ida's Aftermath

People in Port Chester are pleading for help as many businesses that were forced to closed aren’t sure how they'll afford to reopen.

Village officials say that during the peak of the storm, six inches of rain fell per hour from 9 p.m. Wednesday into the early hours Thursday — an unprecedented amount.

Most of the village residents have never gone through this recovery process before. Many are also not fluent in English, making it even harder for them to get the help they need.

"There's a lot of our neighbors homeless in the streets with no food, with no power,” says Luis Yumbla, a community activist.

One local business owner at the meeting said he was already facing financial hardship due to COVID.

Many residents turned to the village and county officials for financial help, but local officials say they're the wrong people to go to.

Latimer urged everyone to apply for FEMA assistance.

"It is the federal government — not the state government, not the county government, not the village government— to answer the need that you have,” Latimer says.

To help cut costs, the village decided Tuesday night to temporary waive permit fees and costs to dump bulk trash.

"I know what you are going through, what you're suffering. That's why we have this special meeting,” says Port Chester Mayor Luis Marino.

Marino says he was frustrated with the Red Cross because they wouldn’t give him an answer on how they would help displaced families at first, but finally have. A shelter will open at a local church Wednesday for families in need.

Latimer also says his team is trying to make a deal with hotels to place people in.

YOUR PHOTOS: Ida's impact on the tri-state area