Rockland Buys Temporary Flood Barriers

Rockland County Executive Ed Day signed a bond resolution yesterday authorizing $150,000 for the purchase of temporary flood barriers designed to protect local homes and property during periods of heavy rainfall and extreme weather events.

The temporary flood protection barriers will provide the Rockland County Drainage Agency the ability to fight floods, build temporary dams and reservoirs and divert streams and other waterways in a high water situation, officials said.

The water-inflated system will be stored at the Rockland County Fire Training Center in Pomona for quick deployment. The barriers will be made available to all towns and villages in the county.

“We are thrilled to bring a new level of protection to flood-prone neighborhoods in Rockland County, including the Squires Gate area of Suffern, which has been repeatedly devastated by the rain-swollen Mahwah River,” said Day in a prepared statement. “These barriers can be moved to the appropriate area in a matter of hours, providing a last-resort measure for local homes and businesses that are threatened by rising waters.”

• RELATED: Mahwah, Suffern Work Together to Address Flooding

The barriers provide an efficient means to block rising waters in lieu of sand bagging, which requires specialized supplies and many workers to put them in place. Made of a durable Kevlar-type material, the barriers can be set in place by as few as two people. The oncoming water causes the barriers to rise, while also providing the weight to keep them in place. Many units can be combined for essentially any length or shape.

“These new barriers will help keep the Mahwah River from destroying the Squires Gate community and surrounding neighborhoods in the years to come,” said Village of Suffern community advocate Roy Tschudy said.

Patch file photo