Flooded Elmsford residents demand answers from Greenburgh board
Some Elmsford residents say their homes still have flooding issues since Hurricane Ida struck two years ago.
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Some Elmsford residents say their homes still have flooding issues since Hurricane Ida struck two years ago.
They are demanding answers from the Town of Greenburgh about how to fix the issues.
The town applied for a FEMA grant to elevate homes after Ida, but it hasn’t been approved yet and the rain hasn’t stopped.
The latest heavy rains in late September on Babbitt Court reminded residents of losing everything in Ida.
“I was grateful I didn’t rebuild and go back home because I would’ve suffered a loss again,” said Jeannette Rodriguez.
Rodriguez now rents and still pays taxes and a mortgage on a vacant property as does her neighbor, Anandi Soto.
“We can get the house fixed, but what’s the real problem we’re having in the Saw Mill River,” Soto asked.
It's what she and her neighbors asked the Greenburgh Town Board Wednesday night.
“It took people in Sandy five years to get help. We don’t want to wait five years for this," Sidney Anthony III exclaimed.
They want to know, while waiting for a FEMA grant, what can be done?
Could the town dredge the river or build a levy?
"We’re doing everything humanly possible to help them," Town Supervisor Paul Feiner said.
He adds that town staff does clear the river but can’t control what comes from other municipalities.
“We can clear up the obstructions today and a week from now, there will be more obstructions," he said.
Residents haven’t been satisfied with Feiner’s response, but he says Greenburgh is doing much more to help than other flooded communities.
“We’re basically spending hundreds of hours helping a few people because we want to help,” he said.
As for the FEMA grant, Feiner thinks it’ll likely be approved, but there’s no indication when.
