Thornwood Residents Deluged By Tropical Storm Seek Answers From Town
Two Thornwood residents pleaded with Mount Pleasant officials last week to quickly complete dredging and drainage work at Carroll Park in hopes that it would alleviate flooding during significant rain at their nearby properties.
Neighbors Angela Torrieri and Sue Cusma said they were inundated on the evening of Sept. 1 when torrential rains from the remnants of Hurricane Ida overspread the tristate area. It was the third time within the past 10 years that their homes flooded after not having done so previously.
Cusma said that the delays in completing the Carroll Park project was a key reason behind the flooding and the town needs to be held accountable.
“It’s unacceptable,” she said. “It’s been flooded three times. I’ve had to take on the financial responsibility three times, over $20,000 worth of damage each time. For me, the only way I see out of this at this point, if the town isn’t going to do anything, is to move. Is that the answer here? Is that what the town expects me to do?”
Torrieri said the previous flooding incident, in October 2018, was not a result of a hurricane or tropical system and they had to rebuild the first-floor apartment with their own money, receiving no help from the town or their insurance company.
Torrieri asked whether if the new drainage system had been installed whether their latest crisis would have occurred.
“I know it was a bad storm. My husband and I and my neighbors, too, we’re very frustrated, defeated and disappointed at the town,” she said. “After 28 years of living here, it is our home, but we no longer feel welcome. Now, what does the town have to offer us? That’s all I want to know.”
Supervisor Carl Fulgenzi, who declared an emergency in the aftermath of the rain and flooding, said the town is currently in the second of three phases to address the drainage and flooding issues stemming from Carroll Park and its vicinity. He said last week that he planned to speak to Town Engineer David Smyth to get a progress report on the project that includes a bypass system that will take water away from the homes on Whittier Drive.
Crews started the dredging earlier this month after the town was waiting for its permits to be approved.
The supervisor said all future work also needs to be funded for it to proceed.
However, the volume of rain that fell that evening would have likely made it difficult to avoid any flooding.
“We have people on Elwood Avenue that lost everything also,” Fulgenzi said. “I wish I had an answer. I don’t think you can create a drainage system that can handle eight to 10 inches of rain in a two-hour period.”
But Cusma said until that drainage work is completed to help the residents on Whittier Drive, every time there’s a forecast for significant rain, there is trepidation.
“When does this end?” Cusma demanded to know. “How many more times must we get flooded. When it rains, I don’t get to sleep. You all get to sleep nicely to the pitter-patter of rain. I have anxiety issues.”
Councilwoman Laurie Smalley assured Cusma and Torrieri that the Town Board is listening to their pleas and will do what it can to assist.
“You have to know that we’re all hearing you and I’m hearing you loud and clear,” she said.
Comp Plan Hearing to Resume
The ongoing public hearing on the proposed updated Comprehensive Plan and Form-Based Code for Mount Pleasant’s business hamlets resumed briefly last Tuesday evening before being adjourned to the Town Board’s next regular meeting on Sept. 28.
It is expected that planning consultant Patrick Cleary will be in attendance to answer questions from the board and the public on the proposed update, Fulgenzi said. It had been anticipated that Cleary was going to appear over the summer but that did not materialize.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
