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The effort follows a slow-moving coastal storm system that brought downpours to the Hudson Valley on Friday, Sept. 29, causing flash flooding in busy roads, public parks, and countless basements.
As a result of the deluge, many Westchester residents living in coastal towns suffered damage to their homes, including over 60 residencies in Mamaroneck, village officials reported.
According to Mamaroneck resident Erin Madison, who began a GoFundMe page in order to help affected residents, the storm couldn't have come at a worse time.
This is because many of the people with flooded homes experienced the same thing in September 2021 when the remnants of Hurricane Ida hit the area, Madison said.
"Families who were only just getting settled back into their lives and homes after Ida are now without basic necessities like toilet paper, diapers, shampoo, socks, etc." Madison wrote on her fundraiser page, adding, "There are, once again, families who will not be able to return home for some time and will need to rebuild their lives."
In order to help these families, Madison and her wife, Katie, are now working with community members to gather these needed supplies and donate them to those who need them most.
Using these funds, Madison and her wife were able to hand out an entire carload of toiletries and cleaning supplies to affected residents on Sunday, Oct. 1.
Although the damage was thankfully not as bad as what happened after Ida hit the area, Madison said many families still have a long recovery process ahead of them.
"Some of these families are the same families who lost everything during Ida, including at least two who moved from their previously flooded apartments to new apartments in the village and were met with flooding again," she wrote.
"Others may not have lost everything but are going to be facing massive cleanup and/or the financial burden of replacing cars and other items," Madison continued.
She will be back at a local park handing out more supplies to affected families on Sunday, Oct. 8, in addition to collecting contact information from residents who will need longer ongoing support. These families will then receive donations of clothing, household goods, furniture, and gift cards purchased with the donations to the GoFundMe page, Madison said.
"To say the least, additional donations will not go unused," Madison wrote.
Those interested in donating to the fundraiser can do so by clicking here.
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