Down to the Wire !!
NEW YORK STATE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
THE 2012 WINTER CONFERENCE
FEBRUARY 7, 8, 9, 2012
NYSEMA WINTER CONFERENCE
DOUBLETREE INN
6301 Route 298, East Syracuse, NY 13057
Governor Cuomo unveils 2012 budget on January 17th. The following was included in the budget as it relates to emergency management.
Recovery from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. An estimated $1.5 billion
will be invested in helping communities impacted by Hurricane Irene and Tropical
Storm Lee recover and rebuild. More than 42,000 individuals and families
are receiving $250 million in disaster assistance. The cost of State and local
response and recovery efforts is estimated at nearly $900 million, and public
authorities estimate their costs at more than $250 million. Federal reimbursement
is anticipated for at least 75 percent of these costs. Targeted State programs
in excess of $50 million supplement
traditional federal assistance and spur recovery efforts. The Executive Budget
reflects this ongoing effort, with the State’s share of disaster costs projected
at $65 million in 2011-12, and another $108 million projected in the subsequent
two years.
Improving Emergency Response and Preparedness. The destructiveness of Hurricane
Irene and Tropical Storm Lee revealed limitations in the State’s emergency response
operations, including breakdowns in communications and
transportation, duplication of efforts, and misdirected resources. In an effort
to build the best state emergency operation in the country and prepare New York
for future emergency situations, the Executive Budget supports efforts of the
Office of Emergency Management within the Division of Homeland Security and
Emergency Services to improve the State’s readiness. These include establishing
a new protocol to manage rapidly emerging incidents, establishing regional rapid
support teams, training State executives, completing and implementing an after
action report on the recent disasters, creating a real-time inventory of major
State assets that may be needed for a response and developing a protocol for
deploying them faster. Further, to improve the ability of local governments
to share resources in emergency situations, legislation
is advanced that sets clear guidelines for how shared resources will be
deployed and costs will be appropriately
shared.
Spending for public safety agencies, excluding the impact of disaster aid, will decline 2.0 percent in 2012-13, as savings continue to accrue from the closure of unneeded correctional facilities, the 2011 merger of the former Department of Correctional Services with the Division of Parole, and the 2010 consolidation of all response functions within the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services budget proposed to be increased from $518M to $586M, a 13.1% increase.