A multimillion-dollar federal grant could keep gas stations open during natural disasters. Rep. Nita Lowey, D-Westchester/Rockland, recently announced the availability of a $5.1 million Federal Emergency Management Agency grant for New York state to fund a project that assists gas station owners and operators.
Keeping the state’s gas stations along highway exits and emergency evacuation routes operating during power outages would help ensure the region is “better prepared for future disasters,” Lowey said in a written statement.
The grant is available to help state gas stations come into compliance with laws that will help them stay open and pumping gases during power outages or gas shortages. The law requires that all stations within half a mile of a highway exit or hurricane evacuation route  install transfer switches for generator power to be activated within 24 hours of power outages or a fuel emergency. Also under law, any stations in the region must have transfer switches for generator access within 48 hours.
