'This is killing my business': Elmsford area businesses on Route 9A face repeated flooding

Asher Stockler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
Updated ·2 min read
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Correction: This article originally misidentified the location of Discount Liquors, which is located just outside the Elmsford village line, in the unincorporated portion of Greenburgh.

Flooding along Route 9A in Elmsford, a notoriously flood-prone corridor, caused many businesses to close shop Wednesday as several inches of water streamed atop the pavement. Cars were seen abandoned in the roadway, and police restricted traffic into the most water-logged areas.

"This is killing my business," said Shinu Joseph, the owner of Discount Liquors, located just outside the Elmsford village line in Greenburgh. He was closing his store for the day as he spoke with The Journal News/lohud.

Joseph had to park a mile away and walk to the store in order to traverse the flooded streets. His store has been in the area for a decade and would only see the occasional flood, but in the last year, he's seen the number of annual floods increase substantially.

Shinu Joseph, the owner of Discount Liquors, is closed due to flooding outside his store on Route 9A in Elmsford Jan. 10, 2024. Joseph said the road often floods after storms and he loses business.
Shinu Joseph, the owner of Discount Liquors, is closed due to flooding outside his store on Route 9A in Elmsford Jan. 10, 2024. Joseph said the road often floods after storms and he loses business.

"Normally, for the last four or five years, there is not much rain happening," he recalled. "But in 2023, it (flooding) happened three times."

During a previous storm where flooding along 9A forced him to close up shop, Joseph estimates he may have lost as much as $20,000 in revenue. Though Wednesday's storm occurred on a typically slower day, he would still be out several thousand dollars due to the lost business.

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Ramiro Jimenez, the executive chef at Invito, an upscale Mexican restaurant along 9A, was more hopeful that customers would trickle in once the roads opened back up.

A motorist drives through a closed off area due to flooding on Route 9A in Elmsford Jan. 10, 2024. A stretch of business along the route are closed because of flooding after last night's storm.
A motorist drives through a closed off area due to flooding on Route 9A in Elmsford Jan. 10, 2024. A stretch of business along the route are closed because of flooding after last night's storm.

"We are very confident that we are going to be able to do business," he said. "I know we can only worry about the things we have control of. Mother Nature is not one of them. But at the same time, I'm confident that our neighbors, our town, will go out and live their normal lives and support local businesses, because we need each other."

Ramiro Jimenez, the executive chef at Invito restaurant on Route 9A in Elmsford, talks about the flooding that has closed a portion of the road near the restaurant Jan. 10, 2024.
Ramiro Jimenez, the executive chef at Invito restaurant on Route 9A in Elmsford, talks about the flooding that has closed a portion of the road near the restaurant Jan. 10, 2024.

Though some of Jimenez' employees arrived late to work, the kitchen was busy when The Journal News arrived Wednesday morning. Jimenez had not yet checked whether reservations for the day had been canceled, but he hoped to continue with dinner service as planned. In the future, the restaurant will be offering lunch and brunch service as well.

"It's been a learning experience for us," he said of the flood-prone conditions. "We're learning as we go."

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Elmsford flooding: Heavy rain, floods threaten businesses after storms