What's Been Done Since Last Year's Disastrous Floods?

Local Summit Hears from Community Leaders

by Harold Wolfson, photos by John Gitlitz

(April 17, 2008) One year to the day after the disastrous April 15, 2007 floods, government and community leaders told the Local Summit that a lot has been learned and many mitigation steps taken. (See: Nor'easter Produced Worst Flooding in Local Memory.)

But, more work is needed, and all agreed that each individual’s best silver bullet is to be alert to emergency threats and have in place a plan and provisions for the first several days after disaster strikes.

“Serious floods and other disasters will continue to occur; the only question is when and how,” said Mamaroneck Village Mayor Kathy Savolt, whose community was hardest hit a year ago.

Mamaroneck Village residents were flooded in March and again in April. Photo by Sharon Keck.

She said Mamaroneck Village has ongoing flood problems caused in part by its 18th and 19th century role as a food supplier to New York City. The Village’s early residents established their farms and homes close to the Mamaroneck River and Long Island Sound where the land was rich and water transportation was at hand. Today these properties remain the most vulnerable to serious flooding and were hardest hit a year ago.

Needed: Better Building Codes

“Many communities today do not allow any building in such areas, “ she said. “It wasn’t until 1968 that Mamaroneck had local land-use legislation.” Currently the municipality is trying to craft safer building regulations. In some neighborhoods, for example, new buildings will be required to have basements that allow flood water to run through them.

The meeting, chaired by Keith Yizar (at right), a Summit board member and youth counselor in the Mamaroneck schools, also heard from Rev. Deborah Tammearu of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Christy Gibney, disaster consultant to the United Way; and Judy Myers, Westchester County legislator.

Ms. Savolt said Mamaroneck Village has conducted training and mock disaster planning for relevant municipal departments. The all-volunteer fire department has been put in charge of disaster incidents. It maintains contact with counterparts in nearby municipalities.

She said the Village is working with nearby communities and federal and county groups to lessen flood vulnerability. This effort is based on understanding watersheds and a willingness to be guided by this awareness. She explained that flood water knows no municipal boundaries: it simply flows downward toward the nearest large body of water. Watersheds, not municipal boundaries are what count. Mamaroneck’s circumstance is that it is the receiving basin for three upstream watersheds. Everything that happens up-stream affects it. Progress in handling rain and snow-caused flooding depends on the up and down-stream communities cooperating with each other.

It is expected, for example, that when the Army Corps of Engineers completes its current, second study of the Mamaroneck River, changes will be made along the river itself. It is important that those changes reflect both up and down-stream consequences.

Agencies Learned to Talk to Each Other

Mamaroneck Village Mayor Kathy Savolt listens as Rev. Deborah Tammearu outlines coordination among non-profits.

While speakers generally agreed that local fire, police and ambulance groups proved well prepared to provide early emergency assistance to flood victims, Rev. Deborah Tammearu of St. Thomas Episcopal Church pointed out that local social agencies and houses of faith were not as prepared to pick up the ball for longer term help. There was little communication among them. Inertia and duplication resulted. Fortunately this was soon recognized. Leaders at St. Thomas, the United Way, the Hispanic Resource Center, the Washingtonville Housing Alliance, and Mamaroneck United Methodist Church got together, and with aid from other organizations, founded WINDER, an interagency/government disaster planning group, to coordinate efforts. (See: Experts & Laymen Weigh in on Floods & Disasters.)

Today WINDER members undertake periodic “what would you do if planning” for various types of disaster. Not too long ago thirty members convened in county offices and conducted a planning session on what they would they do if a tornado hit a large shopping center such as The Westchester.

“WINDER is a hub of a wheel of services. In a disaster, it connects those who need help with agencies who can provide that help,” Rev. Tammearu said.

Additional Highlights:

• Meeting Chairman Yizar noted that his family has been in Mamaroneck Village since the early 1800s and his house was one of those built close to the Mamaroneck River. “The flood water covered my basement and then crested four feet above the first floor,” he said. He and neighbors were particularly pleased with help from Habitat for Humanity and the Furniture Sharehouse to aid their recovery.
  
  
• Carol Cauley, director of the Mamaroneck Food Pantry, commented that the flood-caused suffering was continuing and that her organization has seen a steady increase in families needing supplemental food staples since the flood.
  
  
• Ms. Gidney said that the DIAL 211 program of the United Way is a 24/7 resource for emergency help such as clothing and shelter, food and health care. She also said that one of the improvements made by local agencies is to share client information and reduce red tape. During an emergency it is important that victims do not have to visit multiple agencies to find the right one or be bogged down by redundant questionnaires. She said that the WINDER members now share the same client-friendly application and release forms. DIAL 211 feeds requests for aid to WINDER.
  
  
• Funds Needed for Dial 211. Legislator Myers said that the current NY State budget does not include funds for continuing the DIAL 211 program. This is a disaster in the making. She asked her audience to petition state legislators to provide funds.
  
  
• Legislator Myers said Westchester County has allocated $50 million, $10 million a year for five years, for flood mitigation projects. Applicants must show a County benefit will accrue. Awards will begin later this year. She also said that NY State has had strong home rule laws since Revolutionary time allowing each municipality to determine land use. This is a hurdle for organizations, such as the County, trying to help adjoining municipalities with their common flooding problems. She applauded the way Mamaroneck Village was handling the matter. She also urged all residents to be aware that nature requires adequate permeable space for storm water to drain: unnecessary paving and asphalt contribute to flooding.
  
  
• Valerie O’Keeffe, Mamaroneck Town Supervisor, said the Town is on top of keeping its storm water conduits in good shape. Mayor Savolt had said earlier that some of Mamaroneck Village’s conduits were old and were being given special attention. Ms. O’Keeffe also said the Town is making a special effort to keep in close touch with neighboring hospitals and ambulance services to assure efficient assistance in an emergency.
  
  
• Mamaroneck Town Trustee Phyllis Wittner, chairperson of the Long Island Sound Watershed Municipal Council, said, “No one municipality can deal effectively with serious floods.” She said mutual cooperation was the way to go and that’s why her organization was working with communities to secure better storm water flow infrastructure.

Harold Wolfson is a board member of The Local Summit, an informal community council which tries to make the community a better place to live for everyone. Its monthly public meetings are held at the Nautilus Diner at 7:45 am on the third Tuesday of the month.

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