WASHINGTON - After a massive hail storm pummeled Western New York and the surrounding area on Monday, ruining crops and leaving farmers scrambling to recover, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer Wednesday urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make New York a top priority and assist the state in its recovery efforts. Across Western New York and into the Capital Region and Hudson Valley, farmers saw their stone fruit, corn, vegetable and other crops torn up by the severe weather that swept through the region late Monday. Some farmers reported losing up to 75 percent of their crops in the storm.

To jumpstart recovery efforts in New York, Schumer wrote to Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer asking him to work immediately with Governor Paterson to provide technical assistance to promptly compile and report the potentially staggering losses and damages so that an informed decision can be made on whether to ask for a disaster declaration.  

To date, 15 counties have reported damage: Albany, Columbia, Dutchess, Erie, Greene, Monroe, Orange, Orleans, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, Schoharie, Ulster, Wayne, and Westchester.