Federal Grants for Riverhead Flood Victims Could Be Derailed

Residents of Horton Avenue in Riverhead who saw their lives ravaged by flooding two years ago may have to wait even longer for critical federal aid.

A hold up involving appraisals could prevent flood-ravaged residents - many of whom were displaced and lost everything in the March 2010 tragedy - from receiving approximately $2.7 million in federal disaster mitigation grant funding secured through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

U.S. Rep. Tim Bishop, D-Southampton, wrote a letter to Riverhead Town Supervisor Sean Walter, New York State Assemblyman Dan Losquadro, and Suffolk County Legislator Ed Romaine on March 19 urging them to not to miss looming federal deadlines.

FEMA granted final approval for the project last October. The total cost for the acquisition and demolition phase of the project is expected to cost $2.99 million, with a federal share of $2.24 million and the balance financed by Riverhead Town and Suffolk County.

After the demolition of the flood damaged properties, the plan involved creating an artificial wetland at the site, as well as the construction of new stormwater management infrastructure, at a cost of $600,000; the federal share of that cost is expected to total $456,000.

“It is my understanding that the deadlines associated with the grant are quickly approaching,” wrote Bishop in the letter.  “I am concerned that federal funding may be in jeopardy unless these deadlines are met properly.”

A federally mandated deadline for purchase of the destroyed homes on Horton Avenue homes was slated for June 30, with September 30 SEPT. 30 targeted as the demolition date.
The congressman offered to meet with those involved in the process to help move things along.

Walter said while the delays were not caused by the town, he believes the deadlines will be met. “We’re going full steam ahead,” he said.

Lives in Limbo

Horton Avenue resident Linda Hobson, who has been living in a rental since the flooding drove her out of her home, has been acting for two years as an advocate for her neighbors.

“The delay is throwing back the timeline a bit but I don’t think that’s going to prevent us from having the FEMA grant process go through. We’ve had many delays before,” Hobson said.

Most important, Hobson said, was getting the first six appraisals done so that those who need housing can move forward with a subdivision project in coordination with the Long Island Housing Partnership.

The hope, Hobson said, is to build a new development on Doctors Path that will include three to five homes for Horton Avenue residents and could possibly include affordable housing for Riverhead residents and individuals from neighboring townships. A piece of land has been identified, Hobson said, but no purchase has yet been made.

Walter warned that the development could take up to two years to complete and urged residents to look for new homes among existing stock. “Real estate is at an all time low,” he said. “”There are options out there.”

The past two years, Hobson acknowledged, have been disheartening to residents who lost their homes and possessions. But always, Hobson’s has remained steadfast in her mission to help her neighbors. “I work on this every day, to move it forward,” Hobson said. “I do see progress. It’s slow at times, but it’s progress, nonetheless.”

Other holdups over the past two years have included resistance by some residents of Horton Avenue who refuse to accept a buyout and leave their homes, said Hobson. “People are not going to give up their homes, even in a flood prone zone, if they don’t have another house,” she said.

And no FEMA grant can completely compensate residents for the loss residents suffered, Hobson said, as treasured photographs and family heirlooms were swept away by flooding.  “This is not making people whole,” she said. “The FEMA grant does not include contents of our homes. People lost a lot, things they cannot get back.”