Officials flood Livingston Manor

Promise relief for victims

By SANDY LONG

LIVINGSTON MANOR, NY - Just across Cattail Creek and only a stone’s throw from the site where 15-year-old Jamie Bertholf was swept downstream when raging floodwaters destroyed her home last week, a cluster of officials gathered on Friday, June 30. They had come to Livingston Manor to assess flood damage in the region and to address remediation efforts.

U. S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) described the damage he observed in town as “enormous” and “devastating,” and applauded the Red Cross and the many volunteers dealing with the aftermath of the flooding. “The people are pulling together, but without help from Washington, it’s not enough,” he said. Schumer promised to see to it that “people receive all the federal aid they are entitled to.” He added, “We do not want what happened with Katrina to happen here.”

Schumer provided a toll-free number for flood victims to call for immediate assistance from FEMA (800/621-3362) and urged that “anyone who has suffered a loss should call now.”

According to Schumer, FEMA will provide grants up to $20,000 and New York’s Small Business Administration will provide loans ranging from $40,000 to $400,000.

After surveying the damage along the creek, U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) said, “We’ve got to start thinking about what must be done to avoid this in the future.” Clinton said that the Army Corps of Engineers is seriously under-funded and charged that this is “a perfect example of the misplaced priorities in Washington,” adding, “We should be investing in what needs to be fixed in America.”

Prior to the public address, Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) attributed the flooding problems to changing weather patterns precipitated by global warming. “We’re getting record amounts of rainfall in short periods of time. The planet is warming, the oceans are rising and we’re not dealing adequately with the natural consequences. Little to nothing is being done by the current administration,” Hinchey said.

The officials expressed condolences to Bertholf’s family for their terrible loss. “It’s heartbreaking,” said Hinchey. “This is an issue that goes beyond property values and inconvenience.”

Resident John Parker, whose home sits across the creek from the former site of the Bertholf home, said that Jamie and his daughter, Shaka, were friends and that both were recently involved in a YMCA leadership training program. “Jamie had trouble swimming,” said Parker. “So she went back inside the house instead of jumping and in two minutes, the water took the house away.”

Parker and his family narrowly escaped their flooded home at the corner of Finch and Main streets. “We moved here hoping to have a better life with a nice house and a little creek that flowed past the garden. Never did I think it would endanger my family’s lives.”