Richard Moody is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Federal Emergency Management Administration has denied a request from Columbia County for assistance following a severe storm that caused $300,000 in damage in the northern part of the county the weekend of August 17 and 18. However, the agency's final approval of a Major Declaration for New York included coverage for damage sustaining earlier in the week, leaving Columbia County out. County Emergency Services Department Director David Harrison Jr. received a call October 2, from FEMA notifying him the county was omitted. “FEMA determined that the storm out in the Southern Tier and the Finger Lakes Region and the storm that happened here were separate events,” Harrison said. “We certainly knew this was a possibility.” Harrison said the agency's decision came quickly. For the county to receive reimbursement now, the state would have to request a new declaration for the storm that occurred in the Capital Region, or the state could submit an appeal to the agency. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.