summary of flood related problems in greenburgh

I spent a few hours with Captain Glenn Bryan of the Greenburgh Police Department inspecting storm related problems around town. The hurricane caused the temporary road closings of 31 streets around the town. Fortunately, there were fewer downed trees than we had during previous storms. Fewer power outages than we had in previous years: About 1,500 power outages. Flooding in Elmsford was much worst than it has been in decades.

Flooding on Babbitt Court was worst than it has ever been--water level very high. The police and fire departments were using their rescue boats to evacuate homeowners who reside on Babbitt Court. The street looks like a lake. Some of the residents took advantage of a federal grant and put their homes on stilts. Others are hoping that the federal government will offer residents of Babbitt Court the opportunity to apply for the grant again if their home is currently not on stilts. I hope the federal government will give these families the opportunity to do so. Some residents complained about the difficulty getting reimbursed promptly from insurance companies for their damages. I offered to help. Councilmembers Kevin Morgan and Francis Sheehan were also at the Babbitt Court flood site.

Next stop--9A in Elmsford, another lake. The road leading up to Sam's Club was closed (as usual after a storm). Saw an abandoned Con Ed truck in the middle of "lake 9A". Met with Brian Fee, the owner of Velocity Sports Performance and his neighbor--the manager of the Ice Skating Academy in Elmsford. Their parking lot was also a lake. I had my boots on and went into the water --but the currents were strong so I didn't go very deep! Brian, a new business owner is also experiencing difficulty with insurance reimbursement after floods.

The US Army Corp of Engineers has been studying, studying, studying, and studying the problems on Babbitt Court/Elmsford for fifty, sixty or seventy years. A few weeks ago the town issued a request for proposals for a consultant to help us come up with smaller flood relief initiatives that the town can take on its own---without depending on the fed's for assistance. Clearing up the debris from the river, removing obstructions, dredging could possibly help.

I stopped by at the Multipurpose Center, AF Veteran town park. The center was being used as a temporary shelter for families. About 14 families took advantage of the services we offered. A special thank you to CERT volunteers who donate their time and energy helping families in need.

Made a house call to a resident who experienced flooding on Calvin Court and visited with some residents on Old Kensico Road who suffered significant property damage. They reside off of the Bronx River. One very nice couple suffered two big losses today--his restaurant in Mamaroneck was flooded and his house also experienced major flooding. He and his wife were cleaning the mud from the driveway. Their back yard was flooded --and the inside of their house also was flooded. Visited with other neighbors. Some families lost valuable personal belongings - family photo's, furniture, etc.. Some of the residents complained that the town did not clear the drains of debris. When I got home Councilman Kevin Morgan told me that he was advised that over a week ago town public works crews cleared over 150 yards of silt, dirt and debri from drains in that area.

Stopped by at the Theodore Young Community Center --the ground floor had flooded. And the gym floor probably will need replacing because it is not even. This could be a big expense for the town. Crews were cleaning the floors. E Hartsdale Ave experienced some flooding --but the flooding will not result in closings of businesses --a number of years ago half the businesses on E Hartsdale Ave had to close for many months after a major storm/flooding problem.

When I got home I looked at my e mails and started answering complaints from residents about power outages. There are about 1500 people out of power. It's my hope that their power could be restored quickly. Con Ed is providing local governments with liaisons. We will all work together to get the power restored asap.
PAUL FEINER