Brooklyn Only Borough NOT On FEMA Disaster Aid List

Yesterday, FEMA released their list of counties eligible for emergency aid following Irene. Included on the list was every borough of New York City except for Brooklyn, where the tropical storm made landfall.

The Capitol, which covers New York state politics, is reporting that, while both local and federal disaster officials are calling it a bureaucratic error, some are theorizing that it might be the result of an Obama administration payback against “Orthodox Jews angry about his Israel policy.”

The piece quotes one anonymous elected official who said, “Maybe he realizes that [Assemblyman] Dov Hikind (emphasis theirs) lives in Brooklyn?”

NY1 spoke with Marty Markowitz, who, along with other local pols such as Councilman Gentile, expressed shock that Brooklyn could be excluded:

“I am baffled how Brooklyn could be left off the FEMA list when the Bronx is included, Manhattan is included, and believe me, we sustained in Brooklyn more than $25 million worth of damage, a lot more than Manhattan, so I have no clue how we’re not on the list,” said Markowitz.