COUNTY — Sullivan is one of five upstate counties to receive funds from a $1 million grant, secured by Governor Andrew Cuomo, to combat climate change and address extreme weather events.

The grants will be used to help the counties develop resiliency plans to better prepare for, and efficiently recover from severe weather events in an era of increased storm and severe weather risk.

The five counties awarded funding through the grant are: Albany, Genesee, Orange, Sullivan and Tompkins.

"With unpredictable weather becoming more and more frequent, we can't afford to wait for the next storm to happen before working to protect our communities and infrastructure," Governor Cuomo said. "This funding will help counties across New York develop plans to prepare for future disastrous weather events and protect New Yorkers from some of the unpredictable ramifications of man-made climate change."

Sullivan County has seen its fair share of extreme weather, even in just the last year. In March, a snowstorm struck the county causing downed trees and power outages for thousands of people. The same devastation occurred again in May with an extreme windstorm and heavy rains.

Over the past decade, there have been a few major floods. This is commensurate with national trends in increased extreme weather events, which can be defined as: flooding, heat waves, drought, hurricanes and other storms such as tornadoes, snowstorms and thunderstorms.

Sullivan County Legislature Chairman Luis Alvarez said, "Preparing our natural resources and infrastructure to withstand and recover from severe weather is essential to our state's economy. These targeted state funds have proven to be a key strategy for helping communities protect their homes and infrastructure against storm damage. I applaud Governor Cuomo for recognizing how climate change can drastically affect the weather and for working to protect future generations of New Yorkers and their communities."

According to the National Climate Assessment, a U.S. Global Change Research Program, some extreme weather and climate events have increased in recent decades, and new and stronger evidence confirms that some of these increases are related to human activities.

"We're investing in projects and programs to combat the threat of climate change and ensure communities are prepared for extreme weather events," said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. "This funding for counties in upstate New York will support innovative resiliency plans and ensure the safety of New Yorkers."

The $1 million grant, funded through the State Environmental Protection Fund's Smart Growth Program, will be used by the counties to create a pipeline of projects to protect streams, coasts and critical infrastructure, increasing the flood resiliency of their communities.

Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said, "Thanks to Governor Cuomo's leadership, New York's communities have tools and resources to prepare for our changing climate and are positioned to better protect our citizens, public infrastructure, buildings and other assets. While the federal government is actively ignoring climate-related challenges to our communities, New York is working to protect our citizens and public investments from climate-driven severe weather events and flooding hazards."