Suffern Still Suffers From Irene, One Year Later
SUFFERN, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - It was one year ago today that Tropical Storm Irene slammed into the Tri-State Area with incredibly destructive rain and many communities are still not back to normal.
WCBS 880's Sean Adams On The Story
Podcast
Four homes with eroded foundations are still awaiting the wrecking ball in the Squires Gate section of Suffern.
Next door, Nicole Grayson has picked up the pieces.
"We lost a computer, TV, sofa, pictures, you know, tons of memories," she told WCBS 880 reporter Sean Adams.
The Mahwah River left eight feet of water in her basement and had no flood insurance.
It was pretty much the same story in roughly 150 homes.
RELATED: WCBS 880 Tri-State Top 11 In 2011: No. 1 – Irene
Everyone had hoped that the Federal Emergency Management Agency would come to the rescue.
"A lot of us were hoping, if there was some kind of way that the government could help us buy out," she said.
Suffern Mayor Dagan LaCorte is still working with FEMA to get money for the four families who lost their homes.
Everyone else is in a different category.
"The type of damage that most homes sustained would not make them eligible for a buyout," LaCorte told Adams.
So, the mayor is working on a unique plan.
In exchange for the right to build, the developer would construct a system to divert river overflow to an old quarry.
"To be able to siphon water off during an event and then after waters recede to be able to slowly release it down the river," the mayor said.
How are you doing on year after Irene? Share your story in the comments section below.
