Hard Work Of Flood Recovery As Attention Moves To The Next Storm

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul described the flash flooding resulting from Friday's storm as "historic," but in many ways, the region was fortunate to have endured record rainfall without widespread devastation.

In neighborhoods in New Rochelle, Mamaroneck, Mount Vernon, Rye and Pelham, residents were counting their blessings, but feeling anything but lucky.

Near the Sheldrake River in the Village of Mamaroneck, homeowners were still dragging their waterlogged belongings to the curb this week as village workers used heavy equipment (the same heavy equipment that was reserved for water rescues just days earlier) to scoop up sodden memories and furniture from the sidewalk.

"We've been here before, but this felt different," Mike Hernandez told Patch, as he swept left behind debris from a walkway. "It was so quick. One minute the street was fine. The next, everything was underwater."

Hernandez wasn't wrong in thinking the historic storm dumped a record amount rain in a very short period of time.

"Friday’s storm rivaled Hurricane Ida, which swept through and devastated Mamaroneck in September 2021," Village of Mamaroneck Mayor Tom Murphy said. "Fortunately, the damage from Friday’s storm was significantly less."

During the height of the storm, between 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Friday, over 160 emergency calls were made from Village of Mamaroneck residents needing assistance. Approximately 50 families were evacuated. Basements at 62 residences, two churches, and the non-profit Community Resource Center were flooded and pumped out throughout the weekend by five teams from the village’s Department of Public Works (DPW) and Fire Department.

Village officials said that a concerted effort to mitigate the potential for flooding helped limit the damage. In contrast to Ida, in which areas of the village remained unsafe to return to for days, all of the village streets were reopened long before the Monday morning commute. Red Cross volunteers were able to knock on doors, rather than rushing to house hundreds in temporary shelters as in the aftermath of Ida.

Efforts the village has made to clean, maintain and dredge the Mamaroneck and Sheldrake Rivers are credited for allowing Friday’s heavy rains to move more swiftly and unimpeded into the Mamaroneck Harbor and the Long Island Sound.

Just a few blocks away, on Mamaroneck Avenue, The Fuller Center for Housing of Greater New York City's Jim Killoran has set up a disaster center where the group's Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) will stage.

Killoran and his team of volunteers have been on hand in the aftermath of disasters big and small for decades, but far from being a harbinger of doom, his arrival signals that things will soon be getting better.

The neighborhood is perhaps too familiar with Killoran's good works — given that the devastation left being by Ida was just two years ago. Those walking by, who survived the latest flooding intact, stopped to ask what they could do to help.

Killoran explains to each person that hands are always welcome, and while the supplies needed depend on how quickly building permits are approved, gift cards to Home Depot go a long way towards helping to rebuild.

"It wasn't Ida, but this was no small thing," Killoran explains. "We gutted two homes in Mamaroneck. Ashland Avenue in New Rochelle got it bad. We actually put an elderly couple up in a hotel. The mayor called us in Pelham and we were able to help out there."

Although Killoran is proud of his volunteers and describes the feeling of helping a family get back into their home with a glint in his eye, he soon steers the conversation to ways that his hard work helping with recovery in the wake of disaster could be less needed.

He points proudly to the piles of sandbags that helped nearby businesses stay dry. The Fuller Center has donated hundreds of sandbags to property owners since the deadly flooding that resulted from Hurricane Ida.

Other efforts to prevent future loss of life and destruction of property require the cooperation of property owners and political leaders.

"There is too much concrete everywhere," Killoran says gesturing towards the busy commercial corridor. "It wouldn't take much to find room for resilient green space, rather than just asphalt everywhere."

Killoran adds that a small change, such as a rain garden designed to absorb and filter downpours, could make a huge difference. On that point, Village of Mamaroneck Deputy Mayor Lou Young seems to agree.

Patch caught up with Young at an event celebrating new state rules encouraging "living shorelines" as a means of protecting the coastline from flooding and erosion in a more resilient way, while also offering a restored habitat for marine life.

"This is what we would like to do along the Sheldrake," Young said. "If you look at Columbus Park, it flooded, but that was by design. The flood waters receded and a lot of damage was prevented downstream."

Since March 2022, the Village of Mamaroneck has used $2.7 million in taxpayer funds, in addition to $1.2 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) that was awarded to the village from the White House, to clean, maintain, purchase equipment and dredge the Mamaroneck and Sheldrake Rivers, thus making the community more flood-resilient. That investment paid off on Friday and lessened the disaster, village officials said.

But, more work to mitigate flooding in the village is still needed.

The first phase of the federally funded and managed $100,000,000 Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) Flood Risk Management Project is set to begin this December at the Ward Avenue Bridge and will continue working its way north up the Mamaroneck River. While the Village of Mamaroneck does not control this ACE project, the village is collaborating with the Army Corps to make this project the cornerstone in making the community more flood-resistant in the future.

Those efforts, along with quick action by neighbors and village workers, helped limit the scope of this latest flooding emergency.

"I want to thank all our residents for their cooperation and perseverance during this emergency," Murphy said. "While this was a difficult few days, our municipal workers went above and beyond the call of duty. We will continue to make progress toward a more flood resilient Mamaroneck. We will continue looking out for one another."

The Village of Mamaroneck isn't alone in rebuilding while keeping an eye on the next storm — whenever that might be. New Rochelle, Mount Vernon, Rye, Port Chester and Pelham are coming to the aid of residents whose lives were disrupted as officials continue to make hard decisions about natural disasters that are becoming all too frequent.

The question is whether the improvements to flood resiliency are enough and happening fast enough. That test may come sooner than hoped with the threat of heavy rains and potential flooding in the forecast for the coming weekend.

Those who wish to help can make a secure donation to the The Fuller Center for Housing of Greater New York City here.