Canandaigua residents put 'human face' on flood

CANANDAIGUA, NY – Bernadette Soffel and her dog were evacuated from their West Gibson Street home in the dark aboard a fire boat.

With as much as seven feet of water and mud in her basement, Soffel has had to pay a “huge” amount of money to replace a hot water heater and other items, noting she still needs to shell out more money for things like a new furnace, washer and dryer and more.

Soffel, along with other neighbors who told City Council of their stories of the devastating rainstorm of July 9 that led to subsequent flooding, is flattened emotionally, she said, wondering where the money is going to come from to get back to normal and at the same time, fearful of what the next storm will bring.

“This is one huge trauma,” Soffel said.

During the emotional meeting Thursday night, residents near Sucker Brook, a stream that runs through this and other city neighborhoods before emptying into Canandaigua Lake, told stories of flooded basements, ruined family keepsakes and heirlooms, and varying amounts of damage to their homes – all expensive to repair and leaving many of the families with young children, empty nesters and seniors who live here facing financial hardship.

According to the National Weather Service, nearly 6 inches of rain measured at the Canandaigua Airport fell in a three-hour period that day, including nearly 4 inches during a 45-minute span.

Although by outward appearances the area looks cleaned up, although traces of mud and sandbags remain in some spots, at least one resident referred to it as a “disaster zone.”

Jessica Ferguson and family just returned to their West Gibson Street home last Sunday.

“It’s been an extreme struggle,” Ferguson told councilmembers.

Flood victims press for help

City Manager John Goodwin said many nonprofit community groups have helped residents, including through the flood information center established after the storm which collected information from residents affected by the flooding. Those who have not are urged to call 211 in order to share their information and needs.

The next step is determining a process for distribution of the limited funds collected to ensure the money goes to where it’s most needed, Goodwin said.

“It is coming,” Goodwin said.

The problem facing residents is, according to Maria Bucci, whose West Gibson Street home also sustained flooding damage, is they need help now. In her case, only a fraction of the amount of money she has paid in flood insurance premiums over the years was paid out.

“We can’t wait months for funding,” said Bucci, who had to pay a deposit just to get on a schedule for September to have repair work done. “Winter is coming.”

Efforts for emergency help intensify

City Council on Thursday joined a formal request for emergency funding from the state to help the owners of 200 homes – most in this Sucker Brook corridor – damaged in the flooding.

In addition to the loss of appliances, many of these homes require repairs or replacement of electrical and plumbing systems, flooring, drywall, insulation, windows, doors and foundation walls, but the work may not rise to the “catastrophic” damage level at which the Federal Emergency Management Agency would provide individual assistance, Goodwin said.

“We are going to continue to advocate,” Goodwin said.

State Sen. Pam Helming, R-Canandaigua, and Assemblyman Jeff Gallahan, R-Manchester, have requested emergency funding from the state. Gov. Kathy Hochul visited Canandaigua they day after the storm.

City officials also urged residents to sign letters and join the request in an effort to press not only the state, but also federal representatives for the help they need.

Homeowners in Orange County received $3 million in state funding, with eligible homeowners able to seek emergency grants of up to $50,000 for home repairs caused by flooding there.

Mayor Bob Palumbo said downstate was hit harder than Canandaigua, but homeowners here also are suffering and should be helped because of the devastation they experienced.

“We are doing everything that we can do to try and help,” Palumbo said.

Can flooding be lessened in future?

Councilmembers gave the OK to form a joint task force with the town of Canandaigua, which could include homeowners as part of it, to look at Sucker Brook and determine ways to lessen flooding and damage in the future.

Councilmember Stephen Uebbing said during Council’s finance committee meeting on Aug. 1 that he does not pretend to know the answer of how to make sure Sucker Brook does not overflow to the degree that it did during the July 9 storm, but putting the right people in place to work on a difficult problem is the “best chance” to solve it.

Uebbing also said flood mitigation measures will have to be discussed as part of future city budgets rather than solely rely on state and federal funding.

The town and city have worked in the past to reduce the amount of water flowing in Sucker Brook during storms. That led to the creation of two retention basins upland where water is held back during rain events.

Officials have said without those retention areas, the flooding here in July could have been worse.

Still, several more retention basins that had been identified in a study done in 2015 have not been built for a variety of reasons including that private property is involved, requiring time and money. It’s not an easy fix, Goodwin said.

“We're not going to be able to solve it 100%,” Goodwin said.

In the meantime, Bucci urged that all efforts to prevent future disasters continue and for the lobbying effort to continue, because what happened was fast, intense and “terrifying” and to “put a human face on this tragedy.”

Help is available

Residents in Ontario County who have flood-related needs related to the devastating rainstorm on July 9 are now asked to contact 211 for assistance as Ontario County’s temporary flooding information center is now closed.

The Canandaigua Area Flooding Assistance Recovery Fund has been created through the Finger Lakes Area Community Endowment, or FLACE, to aid in recovery efforts, and Canandaigua National Bank & Trust will match the first $10,000 raised by the community for recovery efforts. The community is encouraged to donate to the Fund at www.cnbank.com/FLACE/ or at area CNB branches.

Distribution of the fund will be made to the United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes, the Salvation Army, and Partnership for Ontario County.

This article originally appeared on MPNnow: Canandaigua NY residents put 'human face' on flood