SYRACUSE -- One of FEMA's first stops in Syracuse was at Blodgett Elementary. The April storms overloaded the aging school's water system and much of the lower floor flooded. Friday, students had to avoid spots where the floor broke open and some areas were still wet.

FEMA went to several sites in the city including the massive Richmond Ave. sinkhole on the west side. FEMA inspectors need to verify all the damages and calculate how much it will take to repair them across New York State. Onondaga County estimates it has about $8 million in damages but statewide, counties will have to show about $24 million in damages from the storm for it to be declared a disaster.

Joe Rinefierd from Onondaga County said "We're pretty confident we are going to make that mark of $24 million statewide so we'll see."

The storms ended two weeks ago but the damage they caused is still showing up. The city showed FEMA inspectors the sinkhole on Tully Street that just opened up Friday. If the storm is declared a disaster, the city only has 60 days to prove damages so the DPW and engineers won't have long to find all the trouble spots.

Tim Carroll, from Mayor Miner’s office said, "We might be able to do something, run some TV cameras through the sewers and find areas that were damaged as a result of the storm. We talked to FEMA and they were open to us doing that sort of thing."

Another FEMA crew toured houses whose foundations had collapsed. If the storm damage is declared a disaster, homeowners could be eligible for damage reimbursement or low interest loans.  If that is the case, homeowners who have already made repairs, or are planning to, are recommended to keep all their receipts of the work they had done.