Irene the latest, and worst, flood for homeowners along Seely Brook

Neighbors complain of bureaucratic wrangling, isolation, lack of services Chester — Jim Ross rescued his in-laws from their basement apartment on Stevens Lane in Chester after the Seely Brook and other streams inundated most of the street between Ridings Lane and Able Noble Drive. He had difficulty even getting to the street since many roads were blocked. When he arrived, the waist-deep water was running fast. He tied a rope first around himself and then around his mother- and father-in-law so that he wouldn't lose them in the current. He then took them out one at a time. They're now staying at his house in Blooming Grove. His wife’s sister, Madeline, and her husband, P.J. Quinones, occupy the top floor of the house on Stevens. They're still there. Everything on the bottom floor was ruined. Ross, a detective with the New York Police Department, thought it was past time something was done. State stalls debris cleanup "On the morning of Aug. 28 we began to take in water about 4:30 a.m. inside the house," Quinones told The Chronicle. "The water level reached about two and two and a half feet in some areas. The first water to come in the house was from the sewage. A total loss of just about everything downstairs." On Tuesday, cars turning into the street churned up great clouds of dust from the roadway so recently covered with sewage, mud and water. The sound of generators is everywhere. Driveway after driveway is filled with furniture and other possessions pulled from flooded basements and ground floors. It looked like everyone on the street was having a yard sale — until you get closer. Quinones' home at 6 Stevens Place in Chester has been flooded three times in the six years he's lived there. He and most of his neighbors believe the debris clogging Seely Brook, which runs behind the houses on the east side of the street, is causing most of the problem. They've been waiting for years for the brook to be cleared. After years of petitioning, the Palisades Parks Commission granted the town preliminary permission to remove the debris. This was in May 2010, two months after what had been the worst flooding the neighborhood had yet seen — until this week. “This is thanks to Assemblywoman Nancy Calhoun,” Town of Chester Supervisor Steve Neuhaus wrote in an e-mailed message at the time. “She made the call to them after touring the site last week. So much so that the Palisades actually reached out to me saying it was okay! Thank you to both Calhoun and the Palisades!” The supervisor posed for a streamside photo with a group of smiling officials: county Legislator Dan Castricone and representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and New York State Emergency Management Office. But the cleanup never happened. For months, Quinones has been e-mailing local officials, especially Neuhaus, about the debris problem. Several local people praised Neuhaus and Deputy Supervisor Alex Jamieson for their efforts. The problem has been getting the necessary permission from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and final permission from the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, which manages Goosepond State Park, and from a private developer, Steve Sherman, who owns a portion of the surrounding land. This past March, officials came to look things over. They were told the state would not allow heavy equipment in the stream for fear it would stir up silt or sediment and damage nearby wetlands. However, equipment could be brought into residents’ backyards, and pull chains wrapped around debris or logs. No actual dredging of the stream bed would be allowed. Stream widened for new bridge The town recently replaced the bridge on Bull Mill Road off Laroe. Quinones said both the bridge and the stream were widened, which increased the volume of water flowing down toward their houses. Other neighbors agreed with this assessment. “They made the bridge wider without ever clearing Seely brook," Quinones said. "The town is more concerned about Steve Sherman’s development located behind our homes, better known as the Chester Golf development. All they have to do is redirect Seely brook or put up a retaining wall. A very small price to pay to live the American dream of owning a home, which as of now is a nightmare.” David Bell, the Town of Chester highway superintendent, said the volume of water flowing under the bridge is unchanged. He said it's been difficult for the town to get permits or to schedule a clean-out during a dry period. "This year has been so wet we couldn’t possibly get in there," he said. "It’s been raining every other weekend. I know people are very upset. We can’t do anything if Mother Nature is going to carry on like this. It would have been a good idea had DEC been down there after the hurricane. Maybe they would let us dredge it." But even if the conservation department allows the town to remove debris, it won't allow dredging, so the flooding problem will remain, Bell said. "It’s not going to change anything," Bell said. In order to be effective, dredging should take place every five years or so, he said. Most of the people on the block suffered sewage and water flooding, especially on the east side. All are now without power, clean water, or telephone service. They can’t wash, cook, bathe or even flush a toilet without pouring water into it. Bill O’Toole shares the water from his pool with four of his neighbors. Even cell phone reception is spotty, so it's difficult for the neighbors to contact anyone or be contacted by anyone. Orange & Rockland told residents their electricity may be restored by Sept. 2. It may be that small communities like this, with 40 or so households, are having to take a back seat to larger communities when it comes to restoring services. Frank Arriaga lives on the stream side of Stevens Place. This is his fifth flood. Back in April, Dave Bell, Steve Neuhaus, Nancy Calhoun and representatives from the conservation department were here looking over the Seely Brook. Arriaga and Quinones pointed out key problem areas. Arriaga wonders why the state allowed dredging equipment in the stream to build the Bull Mills Road bridge, which opened to vehicle traffic only last week, but not to clear debris. Homeowners were told weeks or even months ago that permission was granted to clear some debris, and that Bell was waiting for dry weather to start, he said. Arriaga climbed down the boulder-strewn bank to take a photo of the stream bed. When warned that he could slip and die attempting to point out the problem, Arriaga said, “I’d be willing to die to stop this!” — meaning the madness, the bureaucratic runarounds, and the "improvements" he and others believe added to the problem. Arriaga said he had “sewage coming out of the commode" at his house. "It makes you feel disgusting," he said. "It makes you feel dirty. I still feel dirty.” A prior flood caused $36,000 worth of damage to his home and possessions. He had to pay $9,000 in out-of-pocket expenses his insurance company would not cover. His neighbor, Steve Diffley, lives on the west side of the street. He and others believe the storm drains add to the problem. “These drains back up before the stream overflows its banks," he said. "I was in a panic because it was closer to the house than it’s ever been.” He and his wife take medications that have to be refrigerated — and they were without refrigeration for 18 hours until they were able to get a generator. Other neighbors said they were unable to afford the $800 for a generator. One man said that when he did try to buy one, they were all sold out. One family called Servepro in Middletown to clean out the sewage and muck. But Servepro needed electricity to do the work So they’re stuck with the mess. Retaining wall never built Some families cannot stay because of the dirt and smell. All have suffered losses and awaiting for help. Trash bags of ruined carpeting line a section of the street. At least one family relies on electricity to run medical equipment. Mike and Sandra Sweatt live at 3 Stevens Place. Their backyard is about ten feet below Laroe Road Mike worked in construction and is now on disability. He has suffered heart attacks and has sleep apnea and lung problems. He has had difficulty sleeping without the use of his CPAP machine. He called the company that makes the machine to see if he can get some kind of small generator to run it, but he's had no luck. Mike’s driveway parallels a small stream that comes from the far side of Laroe, from the direction of Sugar Loaf Mountain, goes under the roadway and comes out a concrete culvert into his stream, which then goes under and across Stevens Place and ultimately feeds into Seely Brook. Three years ago, the county widened and straightened Laroe Road and installed retaining walls in several areas. Mike would take drinks and snacks out to the workers. The road crew supervisor told Sweatt that a retaining wall would be installed when they were done. The large stones for that wall were stored in a grassy area along Able Noble Drive. But the retaining wall for the section of road backing the Sweatts’ yard was never built. The county told Sandra Sweatt that the wall was not necessary and would not be built after all "to save the taxpayers' money.” The pile of stone blocks sat on Able Noble for over a year and a half, according to Mike Sweatt and Bill O’Toole. Finally, neighbors called to ask when the pile would be removed. It was taken away. Some say the stones were used to build the new bridge. On the night of the flood, the Sweatts could hear rushing water but couldn't see much. In the daylight, they saw the awful truth: water was cascading from Laroe Road into their back yard. The water dislodged a wooden plank and later, as the water receded, they could see that the entire side of the roadbed embankment had given way for a distance of at least 15 feet. Paddle-shaped metal projections from the guardrails were supposed to be buried in earth nut were now fully exposed. Earth, gravel, and boulders were strewn about the yard. A town highway department employee told The Chronicle that engineers had looked at that spot and determined the road was intact. From The Chronicle's archives: "Debris removal expected to stop Seely Brook floods" http://strausnews.com/articles/2010/05/21/the_chronicle/news/1.txt "Loss of stone walls another worry for Laroe:Modern walls to be erected in three spots" http://strausnews.com/articles/2008/04/18/the_chronicle/news/6.txt