Steuben County Flooding: Disaster Relief Without Structural Mitigation

Why This Matters for NY-23

Steuben County has experienced what the County Legislature Chair calls “once-in-a-century disasters — over and over again.” FEMA flood maps haven’t been updated since 1991. Residents who were told they weren’t in floodplains now face repeated uninsured losses. Langworthy tours damage and announces FEMA funding after each flood — but there’s no documented advocacy for structural mitigation to prevent the next one. Reactive disaster relief without preventive investment means the same communities keep flooding.

Statement

Source: Multiple Langworthy press releases, 2024-2025

Langworthy has toured flood damage and announced FEMA disaster recovery funding after recurring floods in Steuben County and surrounding areas.

Announced $9.5 million in FEMA disaster recovery funding for Steuben County, including Jasper-Troupsburg School District and county road repairs.

The Record

Recurring Flood Events in NY-23

Emergency declarations have covered Allegany, Chemung, Schuyler, and Steuben counties repeatedly.

County Leadership Response

Steuben County Legislature Chair Kelly Fitzpatrick (May 2025):

“The flooding crisis reaches breaking point… constituents had endured what should have been once-in-a-century disasters—over and over again.”

Infrastructure Context

• FEMA flood maps for Woodhull specifically have not been updated since 1991 (per WSKG, September 2021) — now 35 years old, despite being meant to be reassessed every five years
• Other Steuben communities have maps dating to the 1978-1986 period (per NYS DEC documentation)
• Chemung County has been identified as the single most flood-prone county in New York State
• The Southern Tier holds the highest flood risk in New York State
• The county has 37 miles of levees in 17 levee systems

What’s Missing: Structural Mitigation

Research found limited evidence of Langworthy advocating for long-term flood mitigation infrastructure:

No press release, bill introduction, or public advocacy for proactive flood infrastructure has been identified in the public record.

Risk MAP Update: Progress and Delays

A Steuben County Legislature resolution introduced April 28, 2025 confirms that a FEMA Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning (Risk MAP) update project is underway. FEMA has conducted Discovery meetings and Local Levee Partnership Team meetings, and prepared a Draft Levee Plan in November 2024.

However, the county Legislature requested FEMA delay updated mapping in levee-protected areas until levee certification is complete. Given the complexity of certifying 37 miles of levees across 17 systems, the update process is likely years from completion.

The Insurance Gap

Tim Marshall, Steuben County Director of Public Safety, confirmed that few, if any, households in the area have flood insurance — a direct consequence of outdated maps showing properties outside designated floodplains that actually flooded repeatedly. Residents who were told they weren’t in a floodplain had no financial incentive to purchase flood insurance, and now face uninsured losses when floods recur.

FEMA Funding Breakdown

Key detail: $6.59 million (69%) of the total relates to Tropical Storm Fred damage from August 2021 — more than a year before Langworthy entered Congress. The Jasper-Troupsburg superintendent specifically thanked Sen. Schumer for the FEMA funds.

The Pattern

What IS documented:

• Post-disaster damage tours
• FEMA disaster declarations
• Announcements of recovery funding after floods occur

What is NOT documented:

• Legislative efforts to prevent recurring floods
• Advocacy for updated flood maps
• Push for structural mitigation funding

District Impact

Repeated post-disaster FEMA cycles without upstream mitigation investment mean the same communities bear recurring costs.

Questions This Raises

1. Has Langworthy introduced or co-sponsored any legislation for structural flood mitigation in the Southern Tier?

2. Has he advocated for updated FEMA flood maps, given current maps are 40+ years old?

3. When the same communities flood repeatedly, is reactive disaster relief a sustainable strategy?

4. What would proactive flood infrastructure cost compared to repeated disaster recovery?

5. Has he sought pre-disaster mitigation grants for at-risk communities?

Assessment

Langworthy’s post-disaster response—touring damage, securing FEMA declarations and funding—is documented and appropriate.

What is also documented is the absence of a visible long-term mitigation strategy at the federal level.

Securing $9.5 million after each event while the underlying flood vulnerability compounds is reactive, not preventive.

Whether a structural mitigation push exists behind the scenes cannot be confirmed from public records. What can be confirmed is that no press release, bill, or public advocacy for proactive flood infrastructure has been identified.

Verdict: MISSING CONTEXT — Disaster response is documented; structural prevention is not.

Sources

• WSKG: “Steuben County declares state of emergency,” June 2025
• WSKG: “Long road ahead for Southern Tier communities hit by flash floods,” August 2024
• WSKG: Woodhull flood map reporting (September 8, 2021) — maps not updated since 1991
• Finger Lakes Daily News: “Steuben Chair: Flooding Crisis Reaches Breaking Point,” May 2025
• Langworthy press release: $9.5M FEMA disaster recovery for Steuben County (August 25, 2025)
• Steuben County Legislature: April 28, 2025 Risk MAP resolution
• Steuben County Planning: Flood Mitigation Guidelines (stcplanning.org)
• FEMA: Public Assistance obligations DR-4625-NY (Fred) and DR-4825-NY (Debby)
• NYS DEC: Documentation of communities with 1978-1986 flood mapping
• Related: Steuben County: Ten Federal Funding Claims Examined

Note: This entry documents publicly available information from official records, news organizations, and county government sources. Readers may draw their own conclusions.

Last updated: February 7, 2026