The fire company has been working out of temporary facility since the flooding unleashed by the hurricane swamped the building, which was built on a flood plain in the 1950s.
The federal agency is requiring that the fire company rebuild on higher ground, outside of the flood plain.The fire company had received $337,000 for initial architecture and engineering work.
“The brave men and women of Niagara Engine Company No. 6 voluntarily put their lives on the line to protect Schoharie County residents from dangerous fires," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., in a media release. He, along with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, urged FEMA to release the payment. "And for far too long, they were working out of a temporary facility because FEMA put up bureaucratic red tape that prevented them from building a new fire house.”
John Wolfe, chairman of the Schoharie County Fire Department Building Committee, said, "Schoharie County and Niagara Engine Company No. 6 are very grateful for Senator Schumer and Senator Gillibrand’s strong and long-standing support for the relocation of our destroyed fire house. Moving the firehouse out of the flood plain will help ensure that Niagara Engine Company 6 will continue to provide the highest level of emergency services that the Town and Village of Schoharie have come to expect.”
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