Lawmakers Ask Feds To Increase Funds For West Point Recovery

WEST POINT, NY — New York congressional leaders are calling on the federal government to increase resources for cleanup and recovery of the United States Military Academy at West Point and the surrounding community.

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Pat Ryan said in a statement Tuesday that the federal military installation would not be included in potential aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency under “duplication of benefits” restrictions in disaster relief and emergency assistance legislation.

Schumer said, for more than two centuries, West Point has stood in the Hudson Valley as an indispensable pillar of the nation’s military.

“We cannot allow its buildings and training grounds to sit destroyed in the wake of this once in a generation flood,” he said.

Schumer said representatives of the military academy need the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to quickly work to determine the extent of the damage to the historic academy and get the base the resources it desperately needs to rebuild.

Because the military academy falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense, the DOD has the primary authority to provide assistance, and the state of New York is not eligible to allocate aid received from FEMA to the military school.

The lawmakers are also urging the Army Corps to inspect and provide a comprehensive damage report on the safety and stability of dams, levees, roads, bridges, docks and other critical infrastructure in the community to ensure continued public safety as recovery begins. They also requested an update on the financial resources needed to complete repairs to the campus infrastructure, as well as the historic buildings that have been damaged by water intrusion.

Ryan, who is an alum of the military academy, said West Point is more than just a school, it is one of the largest employers in the Hudson Valley and an American institution of unparalleled significance.

“We need to get boots on the ground immediately to assess the damage and start the rebuilding process,” he said.

“West Point sits at a key intersection of Routes 6, 9W and NY 218, making this effort crucial not just to our cadets,” Ryan said, “but for the district as a whole. I will keep fighting to get them the resources they deserve.”

West Point received an estimated 10 inches of rainfall on Sunday, nearly the amount that typically falls over an entire summer.

That resulted in catastrophic flash flooding, roadway washouts, sinkholes and other significant infrastructure impacts at the military academy and throughout the surrounding area.

On Monday, according to officials, the only passable route to West Point, which was restricted to mission-essential personnel, was via NYS Thruway 87 to Route 6 to Route 293 and then through Stony Lonesome Gate.

Both Route 9W and Route 6 are severely damaged, and a portion of NY 218 has collapsed to the west of the installation.

Academic buildings, portions of the Cadet barracks and privatized family housing have experienced flooding. Many of the buildings on campus are historic, reflecting West Point’s more than 200-year history of military excellence. Stony Lonesome Gate was a vantage point for Revolutionary War soldiers stationed at the steep outpost; now a gate to West Point, the exit lane has washed away, bringing the access point down to one lane.

West Point is currently operating at condition code red, with only key and essential employees reporting for duty.