SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND, ENGEL: MAMARONECK RESIDENTS ARE AT SEVERE RISK OF THEIR HOMES & BUSINESSES BEING FLOODED YET AGAIN; AS REPORT SITS ON ARMY CORPS’ DESK, REPS URGE IMMEDIATE REVIEW AND APPROVAL TO REDUCE FLOODING RISK FROM THE MAMARONECK AND SHELDRAKE RIVER BASINS

In 2007, A Nor’easter Storm Produced Record Flooding In and Near The Village Of Mamaroneck, Causing Loss of Life, Costing Millions In Damages And Forcing Close To 40% Of Residents To Seek Evacuation Assistance; Reps Say Residents In Mamaroneck And Sheldrake River Basins Remain At Risk To Severe Flooding

Approving Army Corps “Chief’s Report” On The Flood Risk Management Is A Key Step In Addressing Flooding, But Is Being Held Up By Bureaucratic Red Tape; Reps Call On Army Corps To Do Its Part And Review And Sign The Report To Move Project Forward Quickly For The Village Of Mamaroneck

Schumer, Gillibrand, Engel: Red Tape Delaying Protection of Mamaroneck Homeowners From Future Floods

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and U.S. Representative Eliot Engel recently urged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to swiftly review the Chief’s Report on the flood risk management for the Mamaroneck and Sheldrake River Basins in the Village of Mamaroneck, New York. The federal representatives said that without progress on this project residents and business owners in the area remain at risk to severe flooding. The federal representatives said the area has already suffered loss of life and serious damage due to floodwaters from the Mamaroneck and Sheldrake River Basins. In 2007, over $50 million worth of damage was done by a nor’easter storm floods. The storm resulted in loss of life, displaced thousands of residents and caused severe damage to the Village’s infrastructure. Senators Schumer and Gillibrand and Representative Engel said the Chief’s Report must be promptly reviewed and signed so the project may move to the authorization phase. Schumer, Engel, and Gillibrand said a swift review of this project will help ensure continued commitment to the lives and safety of the residents of the Village of Mamaroneck, New York.

“Making sure the Village of Mamaroneck is protected from future flooding is critical for public safety and property preservation of homes and businesses,” said Senator Schumer. “Floods have hammered this area before and we can’t wait another year before we implement a better flood protection plan for the whole community, which is why we need Army Corps to promptly review and approve this plan. The Army Corps signing this report is essential to saving lives and protecting the Village of Mamaroneck from the storms of the future.”

“It is critical that the Army Corps of Engineers immediately approve the report that will allow Congress to authorize the flood risk management project for the Village of Mamaroneck,” said Senator Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which oversees the Army Corps of Engineers. “The lives and livelihoods of New Yorkers are at stake, and we must be proactive in ensuring that these heavy storms do not create yet another disaster. The Village Of Mamaroneck has suffered enough loss, and it is unacceptable to wait any longer to take action. I will continue to urge the Army Corps of Engineers to take this first step in ensuring that the Mamaroneck and Sheldrake River Basins are guarded against future flooding, and will work to ensure that this project is authorized by Congress in the next Water Resources Development Act.”

“Flooding in Mamaroneck has caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damages and tragically taken the lives of two of our citizens. I have seen the heartbreak and loss experienced by residents of the community, and I have witnessed their hard work to recover and rebuild,” said Rep. Engel. “After I testified before the Army Corps in March, I was pleased to see that its Civil Works Review Board advanced the Mamaroneck and Sheldrake Flood Risk Management Study, and now it’s time for the Army Corps to approve the final Chief’s Report to enable this project to move forward. This plan is technically feasible, environmentally appropriate, economically justified, and absolutely necessary.”

Senators Schumer, Gillibrand, and Representative Engel said the vital project which seeks to reduce flood risk for the Mamaroneck and Sheldrake River Basins and thus protect residents and business owners will include the construction of retaining walls and a diversion culvert. The project would also enable the deepening and widening of river channels, structure elevation, and the removal/replacement of 2 vehicular bridges that constrict flood flow. The recommended plan is estimated to reduce average annual damages by approximately 87 percent and will help reduce the risk of loss of life. Schumer, Gillibrand, and Engel said it is vital that once the report has been reviewed, it is promptly signed so that it can go to the next step wherein Congress can act to authorize and fund this project.

Senators Schumer, Gillibrand, and Representative Engel explained in April 2007, a nor’easter storm produced record flooding in the Village of Mamaroneck, equivalent to the one percent flood event. The 2007 event caused over $50 million in damages and impacted over 50 percent of total structures within the study area. The storm resulted in floodwaters peaking on the Mamaroneck River in approximately four hours and in approximately six hours on the Sheldrake River. As such, the evacuation time for approximately 19,000 residents in the Village of Mamaroneck was severely restricted and created a high-risk situation. Over 40 percent of Mamaroneck residents required evacuation assistance prior to floodwaters peaking including a large population of children that attended a school located within the epicenter of the severe flooding. However, this was not the only flood event in the basin. Additionally, two deaths have occurred as a result of flooding in the project area in the last 25 years, most recently in 2007.

A Copy of Schumer, Gillibrand, and Engel’s Letter Appears Below

Dear Lt. Gen. Semonite:

We write to urge you to promptly review the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s Chief’s Report on the flood risk management for the Mamaroneck and Sheldrake River Basins in the Village of Mamaroneck, New York. As you know, it has been recommended to authorize a plan to reduce flood risk through the construction of retaining walls and a diversion culvert, the deepening, and widening of river channels, structure elevation, and the removal/replacement of 2 vehicular bridges that constrict flood flow. The recommended plan is estimated to reduce average annual damages by approximately 87% and will help reduce the risk of loss of life. It is our hope that once the report has been reviewed, you will promptly sign and recommend the plan to reduce flood damage in the Village of Mamaroneck for Congress to authorize and fund the project.

In April 2007, a Nor’easter storm produced the flood of record for the Village of Mamaroneck, equivalent to the one percent flood event. The 2007 event caused over $50 million in damages and impacted over 50 percent of total structures within the study area. A one percent flood event, the storm’s resulted in floodwaters peaking on the Mamaroneck River in approximately four hours and in approximately six hours on the Sheldrake River. As such, the evacuation time for approximately 19,000 residents in the Village of Mamaroneck was severely restricted and created a high risk to life safety. Over forty percent of residents required evacuation assistance prior to floodwaters peaking including a large population of children that attend a school located within the area of the most severe flooding. However, this was not the only flood event in the basin. Two deaths have occurred as a result of flooding in the project area in the last 25 years, most recently in 2007.

We urge you to ensure the Chief’s Report on the flood risk management for the Mamaroneck and Sheldrake River Basins is promptly reviewed and signed so the project may move to the phase where Congress can act to authorize and fund this project. As you know, a final Chief's Report must be approved in order for this project to move forward. A swift review of this project will help ensure continued commitment to the life safety of the residents of the Village of Mamaroneck, New York. Should you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact our offices.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer

United States Senator

Kirsten Gillibrand

United States Senator

Eliot L. Engel

Member of Congress