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State Sen. George Latimer (D-Rye) and Assemblywoman Shelley Mayer (D-Yonkers) have introduced legislation that would provide a comprehensive and coordinated approach to solving devastating and costly flood issues, they announced Sunday.
“We have introduced legislation that will give residents of neighborhoods like East Yonkers the necessary tools to protect themselves from flood-related issues,” Latimer said.
Residents in East Yonkers have been no strangers to flooding in recent years. The problem has hit places such as the Longvale neighborhood, near the Bronxville border, particularly hard.
More than two-dozen homes were flooded in 2007 when the Grassy Sprain Brook backed up during a strong nor’easter. It happened again in 2011 when Hurricane Irene hit, causing millions of dollars in damages throughout the area.
Down the road, at the Brooklands co-op complex, residents in all of the 24 ground level co-ops were forced to evacuate when their homes were flooded during Irene. Co-op executives estimated $3.3 million worth of damage was sustained throughout the complex.
“It was devastating,” Kerry Smith, president of the Brooklands cooperative's board, told The Daily Voice. “There was absolutely nothing you could salvage. A lot of people lost everything.”
Many neighbors have said their flooding concerns are part of a much bigger problem that stems, in part, from debris that has piled up in both the Grassy Sprain Brook and Bronx River. Fallen trees and logs have slowed water flow, and with any significant rain, the Grassy Sprain backs up before overflowing into their basements.
City, county and state officials say they have tried to help but are limited because of a lack of funding and other issues.
That’s why, Latimer and Mayer said, the state needs a comprehensive approach to flood planning, mitigation and remediation.
As a result, they have introduced three separate bills at the state capitol. The first would, among other things, provide a $10 million comprehensive state-wide flood grant program to aid municipalities in implementing flood mitigation plans.
The second would establish a flood mitigation council at the state level. The group would identify regions affected by flooding while prioritizing mitigation efforts and identifying sources of funding. The final bill would require the Department of Transportation to inspect barrier walls and evaluate their impact on flooding.
City Councilman and Longvale resident Mike Breen said solutions to the flooding need to be addressed by all levels of government.
“Getting the State of New York involved is a step in the right direction in finally beginning to address the major issues that cause our flooding and push whatever government entity needs pushing to act before the next storm severely floods our neighborhoods again,” he said.
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