New Rochelle co-op residents still out of their homes because of September flooding
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. -- Four weeks ago, the remnants of Hurricane Ophelia dumped epic amounts of rain on New York City and its suburbs.
Dozens of flooded-out New Rochelle co-op residents are still out of their homes and pleading for help before the next big storm.
"It is very upsetting to see my home completely gutted out," said Madelyn Leonard.
"It's been like hell. I've been living in a hotel," said Pamela Russell.
Their bills are piling up.
"We have spent out of pocket just to stay in a place $11,000," said Leonard.
The rain on Sept. 29 devastated Dorchester Gardens, a two-building co-op complex on Palmer Avenue.
"We saw about two feet of water on our patio and knew we were in deep trouble," said Leonard.
"I lost my 2011 Cadillac, only 69,000 miles on it. It was still a baby," said Bob Kraft.
The complex sits adjacent to the Metro-North New Haven Line. Residents said a railroad drainage culvert often clogs with debris, compounding frequent flooding.
For some residents, it's a depressing déjà vu. Their units flooded two years ago after Hurricane Ida.
"Breaks my heart. Are we gonna have everything restored, buy new furniture, and have this happen to us again?" said Leonard.
The MTA said it cleaned debris from the culvert 15 times since 2019, at the request of the co-op property manager.
New Rochelle and the railroad indicated a commitment to explore measures to mitigate the flooding.
"That's the only way it's gonna stop, is if all parties, including the city of New Rochelle, get together and figure out what's gonna go on here," said Kraft.
New Rochelle said it added the co-op complex to the list of "special inspection locations" prior to heavy rain events.