Residents of Babbitt Court attended Greenburgh Town Board meeting and made an emotional appeal for help so that their homes could be lifted up--so they can avoid flooding damages in future. Residents in Fairview and Edgemont also are asking for help
RESIDENTS OF GREENBURGH ASK THE TOWN BOARD FOR HELP LIFTING UP THEIR HOMES SO THEY WON'T BE FLOODED AGAIN
Some residents are living in hotels. They lost tens of thousands of dollars and need FEMA to expedite financial help
Here is the YouTube link - https://youtu.be/226Uwj8mcxE Residents of Babbitt Court making an emotional appeal for help---some are homeless due to the flood. They lost everything
At the meeting of the Greenburgh Town Board this Wednesday some residents of Babbitt Court asked the Greenburgh Town Board for help getting FEMA to approve financial help to lift up their homes so that the next time there is a big storm that they won't experience significant property losses. IN 2004 seven residents of Babbitt Court worked with the Town of Greenburgh and lifted up their homes. During the recent storm those who had participated in the program did not suffer significant property losses.
On Thursday, September 23rd I met with residents of Florence/Warren in the Fairview section of town. They also asked for help lifting up their homes. Some residents who live on Clarendon Place in Edgemont also want to participate in a program to life up their homes. Earlier this week I reached out to residents around the the town who live in neighborhoods that experienced significant flooding and asked if they would like to participate in this option.. I expect many others who live in the town to also want to take advantage of this program.
The town of Greenburgh will help residents navigate the FEMA application process for lifting up homes. We are in discussion with an engineering consultant firm that we have used in the past that has experience working with FEMA. We want to provide residents who experienced losses with expert help so they can get the funding they need from FEMA, the building permits from the town and the construction started as soon as possible. This option, for many, is the most practical approach to address flooding problems. We still will try to help minimize flooding around town.
According to FEMA One of the most common retrofitting methods is elevating a house to a required or desired Flood Protection Elevation (FPE). When a house is properly elevated, the living area will be above all but the most severe floods (such as the 500-year flood). Several elevation techniques are available. In general, they involve (1) lifting the house and building a new, or extending the existing, foundation below it or (2) leaving the house in place and either building an elevated floor within the house or adding a new upper story. During the elevation process, most frame, masonry veneer, and masonry houses are separated from their foundations, raised on hydraulic jacks, and held by temporary supports while a new or extended foundation is constructed below. The living area is raised and only the foundation remains exposed to flooding. This technique works well for houses originally built on basement, crawlspace, and open foundations. When houses are lifted with this technique, the new or extended foundation can consist of either continuous walls or separate piers, posts, columns, or pilings. Masonry houses are more difficult to lift, primarily because of their design, construction, and weight, but lifting these homes is possible. In fact, numerous contractors throughout the United States regularly perform this work.
Residents of Greenburgh who are interested in exploring the feasibility of lifting up their homes to avoid flooding should e mail Supervisor Paul Feiner at pfeiner@greenburghny.com or call 914 989 1540.
PAUL FEINER
Greenburgh Town Supervisor