Jasper-Troupsburg awarded $5.6 million to cover 2021 cleanup of flooded high school

Chris Potter, The Evening Tribune
·3 min read

Jasper-Troupsburg Central School received a major lifeline Wednesday as federal officials announced over $5.6 million in funding to help the district recover from the aftermath of Tropical Storm Fred.

The FEMA award will cover Emergency Protective Measures, said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in a joint announcement. Jasper-Troupsburg’s high school was inundated with nearly four feet of water, mud and debris during the August 2021 flood event. The damage was severe and forced the closure of the building.

Jasper-Troupsburg’s high school relocated to the former Greenwood school building for the 2021-22 school year.

The FEMA funding will reimburse the school for costs incurred by emergency cleanup and restoration measures taken to protect the buildings from further damage. The $5.6 million was provided at a 90% federal cost share.

LeeAnne Jordan, Superintendent of Jasper-Troupsburg Central School District, said the support from Schumer’s office resulted in an expedited review of emergency work performed by ServPro.

“Receiving the news that the $6.3 million project is likely to be reimbursed prior to the expiration of the Revenue Anticipation (Note) that is due in just a few weeks is cause for relief, since it means that our district will not have to renew the RAN and incur additional interest expenses,” said Jordan. “This one act alone has saved the Jasper-Troupsburg Central School District close to $200,000.”

A hallway in the Jasper-Troupsburg Junior/Senior High School is flooded after remnants of Tropical Storm Fred soaked the Southern Tier Region Aug. 18-19, 2021.
A hallway in the Jasper-Troupsburg Junior/Senior High School is flooded after remnants of Tropical Storm Fred soaked the Southern Tier Region Aug. 18-19, 2021.

Tropical Storm Fred hit the Southern Tier in August 2021 and overwhelmed local infrastructure, with the heaviest damage concentrated in the Jasper and Woodhull areas in Steuben County. More than 7 inches of rain fell on New York in three days, with 24-hour totals exceeding 3 inches in many locations and one receiving more than 5 inches. The storm helped make 2021 one of the wettest summers on record in the region.

The storm also took the life of 31-year-old Greenwood native Klarissa M. Bivins when flood waters forced her car from State Route 417. Swift Water Rescue Crews were deployed to help residents evacuate their homes and take refuge in shelters. Hundreds of homes, businesses, roads and bridges were damaged in the flood. Floodwaters even caused a train to derail, noted Schumer’s office.

“The people of Steuben County were completely devastated by Tropical Storm Fred’s heavy rains and historic flooding, especially the Jasper-Troupsburg High School. This federal funding will go a long way in helping to make the school district whole again and reimburse them for the emergency measures they took to prevent further damage from the flood,” said Sen. Schumer.

“I will not stop fighting to help the Jasper-Troupsburg Central School District and all of Steuben County get every penny it is entitled to for them rebuild, recover and restore their facilities so students can come home to their school.”

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The FEMA funding will cover deep cleaning that was required after the flooding, the removal of water that needed to be pumped out, debris removal and other restoration efforts taken to prevent further damage within the building, said Schumer.

Nearly ten years after it was closed in 2012, the former elementary school in Greenwood was repurposed as the Jasper-Troupsburg Sr./Jr. High School just in time for the start of the new academic year.
Nearly ten years after it was closed in 2012, the former elementary school in Greenwood was repurposed as the Jasper-Troupsburg Sr./Jr. High School just in time for the start of the new academic year.

The Biden Administration issued a disaster declaration for the impacted counties in October as damage in the area was estimated to eclipse $35 million. The declaration included Steuben, Allegany, Tioga, Yates, Cayuga, Cortland, Lewis, Oneida and Onondaga counties.

In March, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the nine counties impacted by Tropical Storm Fred are eligible for $4.4 million in federal hazard mitigation funding. The funding will be directed toward mitigating the impact of future storms.

In February, Hochul announced up to $1 million in state emergency funding for eligible homeowners in Steuben County, where the storm hit hardest.

This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Jasper-Troupsburg awarded $5.6M to cleanup flooded high school