Last April, Westchester was made painfully aware of the devastating effects storms can have on homeowners, businesses and the county at large. The April Nor’easter devasted parts of the Sound Shore of the county. The Long Island coastal areas are not, however, the only sections of the county vulnerable to storms and floods. In 1999, Hurricane Floyd destroyed  major areas of northern Westchester. Flooding is a countywide problem and there must be countywide solutions.

Flooding is a natural event. If nothing is done, things can in fact get worse. The impact of global warming has made flooding more severe and we don’t yet know how much worse it will get.

To help find solutions, County Executive Andy Spano in June hosted a  Flood Summit  to bring together officials from all cities, towns and villages to create momentum for solutions. Only by working together will flooding be mitigated.

Video Excerpts of Spano's remarks at the Summit

Spano announced a five-year $10 million per year capital projects budget to help fund local projects and the appointment of a Flood Action Plan Task Force.

Those attending the summit were given an overview of the major causes of flooding, including a historic perspective of the problem. They also discussed short-term and long-term strategies for addressing the severe flooding problems that have devastated so many  municipalities in recent months.

FEMA and NYSDEC to hold open houses this September to discuss the new Westchester County Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM), and the National Flood Insurance Program. View flyer for more details.