Mayor Bloomberg says President Obama has signed a disaster declaration for Staten Island for last year's Christmas weekend blizzard, meaning the federal government will reimburse some costs for the snow cleanup.
Bloomberg said in a statement Friday that requests for disaster declarations for Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx were denied. He said those boroughs were also hit hard and deserved the designation.
But the mayor welcomed the declaration for Staten Island, saying the federal money would bring some economic relief to the city.
Residents criticized Bloomberg and his sanitation department for their handling of the snow cleanup efforts after the blizzard. The mayor admitted the city's performance was "unacceptable."
The blizzard was followed by a series of snowstorms. The city had 36 inches of snow this January.
