County Executive Pat Ryan Announces Mobile Disaster Assistance Centers to Help Residents with Ice Storm Recovery

Posted February 10, 2022

Ulster County will deploy a traveling Disaster Assistance Center team to several of the most heavily-impacted parts of the county – in Kingston, Rosendale and Woodstock – over the next week to assist Ulster County residents with storm recovery needs and insurance related questions

A Disaster Assistance Center is a readily accessible facility where residents can access information about and support from County and other disaster assistance programs, or for questions related to insurance coverage

KINGSTON, N.Y. – County Executive Pat Ryan today announced that over the next week, Ulster County departments in coordination with the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services will deploy a traveling Disaster Assistance Center to assist Ulster County residents at three locations throughout the county with storm recovery needs and answer questions related to insurance coverage. Staffed by the New York State Department of Financial Services, and the Ulster County Department of Social Services, Department of Mental Health, and Office for the Aging, with Veterans Services on call, the Disaster Assistance Center will provide a one-stop shop for Ulster County residents to receive critical storm recovery services and support from Ulster County government.

“While our power has thankfully returned, many of our residents are still dealing with the devastating impacts of last weekend’s ice storm, ” County Executive Pat Ryan said. “I would like to thank the NYS Department of Financial Services and the multitude of County Departments that we have assembled to help our residents deal with everything from insurance questions to housing assistance.”

“No New Yorker will be forced to weather this storm alone, and we are taking a whole of government approach in the recovery, including deploying a dedicated Disaster Assistance Center to help Ulster County residents with insurance claims,” Governor Kathy Hochul said. “To those that are still struggling in the aftermath of the storm, we will continue working around the clock to help get you the support you need. I want to thank our partners in government and the private sector for their efforts in the storm recovery.”

“Although the storm is over and power has been restored, Ulster residents continue to recover from this severe ice event and it is critical for our government partners to provide readily accessible information to assist the recovery process.” New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray said. “Thanks to County Executive Ryan and his team for quickly standing up these facilities and for their partnership in working through the weather emergency.”

"DFS stands ready to help impacted homeowners and businesses with insurance questions and claims related to the Ulster County ice storm," Superintendent Adrienne A. Harris said. "DFS will be issuing temporary adjuster permits to those responding to property losses in Ulster, and we will continue to assist in emergency response efforts in partnership with fellow state agencies and local partners to help these communities rebuild and recover."

A Disaster Assistance Center (DAC) is a readily accessible facility where residents can get information about County and other disaster assistance programs, or for questions related to filing for insurance claims or other assistance. 

Some of the services that the DAC will provide include: 

  • Guidance regarding disaster recovery assistance and programs for survivors 
  • Answers to questions, resolution to problems and referrals to agencies that may provide further assistance 
  • Housing assistance and rental resource information 
  • Mental Health services 

Ulster County Disaster Assistance Center (DAC) 

Ulster County will be setting up a mobile DAC for the following areas and days with daily hours of operation from 10AM to 6PM: 

  • Kingston City Hall, Council Chambers, 420 Broadway, Kingston, NY 12401
    • Friday, February 11th
    • Monday, February 14th
  • Rosendale Community Center, 1055 NY Route 32, Rosendale, NY 12472
    • Tuesday, February 15th
    • Wednesday, February 16th
  • Woodstock Community Center, 56 Rock City Road, Woodstock, NY 12498
    • Thursday, February 17th
    • Friday, February 18th

For public transportation options to the DAC, visit https://ucat.ulstercountyny.gov/. If you are unable to travel to the above DAC locations, call the Department of Financial Services Disaster Hotline at (800) 339-1759 from 8:30AM-8PM for assistance with your insurance questions, or the Ulster County Recovery Service Center at (845) 443-8888 for County services. 

For more information and resources on storm recovery, follow @UlsterNY on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

###