Congressman Bill Owens voted Tuesday to provide assistance to victims of 2011 flooding disasters, including homeowners in upstate New York who were recently denied individual assistance by FEMA to recover from flood damage this spring.

The measure failed (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2011/roll561.xml) on a mostly party-line vote, 181-244.

“Severe weather has caused a great deal of damage to property and local economic development in Upstate New York, and it is critical that these communities receive the assistance they need to recover,” said Owens, D-Plattsburgh, who represents the North Country's 23rd Congressional District..

“This measure was fiscally responsible, as it provided assistance only to those who have paid into the National Flood Insurance Program and have existing policies. It is unfortunate that even issues such as flood relief continue to be politicized in Washington. I will continue to search for practical solutions on every level to give Upstate homeowners and businesses the tools they need to recover.”

Tuesday’s measure would have provided coverage to help flood victims comply with stricter flood plain codes, which built on a bipartisan initiative that was established in 1994.

It would have also supplied funding to homes, and granted temporary relief from flood insurance premium increases so that flood victims could focus on recovery.

Later last night, Owens also supported final passage of H.R. 1309, the Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2011.

The legislation allows families hit by flood damage to pay insurance premiums in installments, grants a three-year reprieve for those who are required to purchase federal flood insurance, and helps to increase the role of private insurers in the process.

This week, Owens wrote to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, urging him to apply for a physical disaster declaration from the Small Business Administration (SBA) in order to provide low-interest loans to homeowners and entrepreneurs to rebuild from the damage caused by spring flooding in the North Country.