North Country communities could qualify for state help to pick up the cost of the Christmas Blizzard

CANTON, New York (WWNY) - Whether it was the high winds, or the white-out conditions, the Christmas blizzard cost counties. Either in overtime costs to cleanup roads, or damages to the waterfront like in Ogdensburg.

St. Lawrence County Emergency Services Director Matt Denner says New York State could help with those costs if the county meets the threshold of $482,000.

Currently, Denner is still waiting for a few more communities to send in receipts and then he expects to forward it on to New York State.

If the state picks up the tab, Denner says it’ll take the weight off local towns.

“For them to have a storm the impact that they had for overtime for the highway guys alone and then snow removal, it’s considerable damage to their budget,” said Denner.

Whether the county can qualify for federal aid is a decision Governor Hochul would need to make, but she has asked for Washington to help counties near Buffalo, also hit by the blizzard.

Denner says the Governor’s Office is still adding up the costs from the November snowstorm that buried some areas of the North Country in 6 feet of snow. So it’ll take some time before knowing if New York will cover the Christmas storm, too.

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