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SCARSDALE, N.Y. Residents still in need of financial relief for damage sustained by the post-Tropical Storm Irene floods need to act fast, according to Scarsdale Mayor Miriam Levitt-Flisser.
Flisser said that Federal Emergency Management Agency will be canvassing the area to ensure that all eligible residents and businesses apply for disaster aid for relief from flood damage. The deadline for residents and businesses to apply is Oct. 31. The first step is to register by calling (800) 621-3362 or going online at www.disasterassistance.gov. For those with speech or hearing disabilities, the TTY number is (800) 462-7585.
Floods past and future were the focus of Flisser's remarks recently at a Board of Trustees meeting.
Flisser said she attended a flood roundtable Oct. 3 with representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation FEMA and the New York State Office of Emergency Management. The session was hosted by Rep. Nita Lowey.
The roundtable's focus was the development of best practices and recommendations for prevention of flood damage in the short term, Flisser said.
"The agenda included steps that municipalities may take to prevent and mitigate flood damage in our region and efforts to work together to address these challenges," she said. There was also discussion of requirements to obtain funds, permitting and outstanding federal assistance.
"It was noted that, in the event that life is threatened, municipalities may work under emergency conditions and no permitting is needed," the mayor said. "In some instances, general permits for municipal work may be granted in 24 hours from overseeing agencies. A few hundred of these permits were granted in our county in the last few months. Long-term projects, however, may not be accelerated for emergency mitigation in view of downstream areas that these interventions may endanger."
A FEMA-approved five-year hazard mitigation plan is required to obtain government funds for projects and planning. These grants are awarded on a competitive basis and may involve long- term risk reduction, she said.
William Gorton of the N.Y. State Department of Transportation, Westchester Division, reported on a project to decrease incidence of frequently flooded roads at 11 locations, Flisser said, including the Hutchinson River, Sprain and Saw Mill parkways.
In addition to flooding, hazard mitigation plans may also include severe conditions, such as cold, Flisser said.
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