ONEIDA COUNTY -- It has been two weeks since severe storms hit Oneida County but many say the cleanup has just begun. Near Deerfield, neighbors found picnic tables six or seven feet off the ground in trees and are only now able to take care of smaller debris.
On Thursday New York's Director of Emergency Management got a first hand look at what the storm left behind and how much it would cost to repair.
"Lot of damage, lot of impact to individuals in the area we are in here in Deerfield. We also have teams out that are looking at infrastructure damage in Oneida County - damages to roads, bridges and other infrastructure," said Andrew Feeney.
Today state and FEMA crews went across Oneida County to see the extent of the damage from the late April storms. if they believe the damage is bad enough, Oneida County could be eligible for disaster assistance.
"Basically what we're looking fro is to get an overall idea of whether the community and the state and the individuals have sufficient resources to recover on their own," said Leah Lubin from FEMA.
New York State's director of emergency management was in Oneida County to tour areas that were hit hard by flooding. The damage was from storms that rocked the Mohawk Valley on April 28th and 29th. At the West Canada Creek Campground in Deerfield water was several feet high., and flooded a number of homes.
FEMA and Oneida County leaders also took part in the tour. The disaster assessment teams will report to the state and federal governments. That report will help determine how much communities will get in disaster relief funds. The Oneida County office of Emergency Management estimates flooding in Paris, New Hartford and Deerfield caused more than $1 million in damage.
