Communities still dealing with flood issues 10 months after Ida floods southern Westchester

A contingent of state, local and federal leaders on Monday toured parts of Southern Westchester hit hard by flooding during Ida.

Nadia Galindo

Jul 11, 2022, 7:20 PM

Updated 817 days ago

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A contingent of state, local and federal leaders on Monday toured parts of Southern Westchester hit hard by flooding during Ida.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Environmental Conservation toured neighborhoods in Pelham Manor, Yonkers and Mount Vernon.
Clarence Young's home on Farrell Avenue in Mount Vernon was one of the stops along the tour.
"Ida. I lost my hot water heater, the furnace," said Youngs. "It was like everything down here in the basement was just gone."
He lives right next to the Hutchinson River, which regularly seeps into his home and the parkway during flash flooding.
Even after making repairs following Ida, 10 months later he is still dealing with the same issue.
"Every time I hear when it rains, and I don’t hear the highway and traffic I say, 'Oh my God, it's coming,'" he said.
Bowman said the tours are meant to create a regional approach to flooding.
"Just connecting the dots, right - it’s important to understand how each system works and the needs of each system so we can respond to that it," he said.
This assessment helped local leaders discern what studies are still needed and what resources and funding are available.
Earlier this year Bowman did a similar tour year in Rye, Bronxville and Tuckahoe. He is planning another tour of flood impacted communities this fall.