June 20, 2013 — When Hurricane Sandy visited Seymour's Boatyard, she was a messy guest, flooding the Northport marina on Bayview Avenue with almost 2 feet of water. The damage was not covered by insurance, and neither was the revenue the Weber family lost when the storm's aftermath kept them from serving their commercial and recreational boating clients.
Now they and other coastal merchants could benefit from a New York State program that is offering grants to companies damaged last October by Sandy, in August 2011 by Hurricane Irene, or in September 2011 by Tropical Storm Lee.
The Coastal Fishing Industry Grant Program, announced May 20 by Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office, was created with $20 million in federal funding. According to the governor's office, small businesses can apply for grants of up to $50,000, to cover losses not reimbursed by insurance or compensated by federal, state, or local disaster relief. Commercial or recreational fishing businesses — or businesses that support those industries — are eligible to apply if they were directly affected by the storms. Fishing-related businesses that can apply for the grants include marinas, bait and tackle shops, and facilities that harvest, process or ship fish. The governor's office said the companies are eligible to apply if they suffered "damage and/or economic hardship" from the storms.
Businesses can apply by calling 855-NYS-Sandy (855-697-72639); or visiting www.nysandyhelp.ny.gov, navigating to the "Businesses" tab and clicking on the Coastal Fishing Fact Sheet.
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