8 SEPTEMBER 9, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Mayor surveys Ida fl ood damage in Woodside
BY DEAN MOSES
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
The storm may be over, but Queens
residents are still cleaning up
from the rainy aft ermath of Hurricane
Ida’s remnants last week.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-
Cortez, Senate Majority Leader Chuck
Schumer and Mayor Bill de Blasio
weighed in on Queens’ disastrous
infrastructure issue on Sept. 6 during
a tour of hard-hit Woodside.
Following the devastating and deadly
remnants Hurricane Ida wrought on
New York City last week, Congresswoman
Ocasio-Cortez and Mayor de
Blasio joined FEMA Administrator
Deanne Criswell to survey the damages
left in its wake throughout 64th
Street and 48th Avenue. On Monday,
President Biden approved Governor
Kathy Hochul’s request for a major
disaster declaration, opening the door
for fl ood-stricken residents to receive
direct federal aid.
“What we saw today was absolutely
heartbreaking — the amount of damage
and destruction that these families
have experienced,” Criswell said. “The
president has declared a major disaster
declaration for this area as well as
Bronx, Queens, Richmond, Brooklyn
and Westchester, so individuals that
live in those counties will be eligible
for Federal Assistance through FEMA.”
Criswell advised that the fastest way
to register for aid is either through disasterassistance.
gov or the FEMA app
on your smart device. You can also call
800-621-FEMA.
The tour saw those in the neighborhood
break down in tears as they showcased
caved-in walls and thousands of
dollars’ worth of damage in furniture
and other valuables. One woman clung
to the mayor and wept while another elderly
woman walked beside the mayor,
pointing at the essential items strewn
over the neighborhood.
“We are seeing families who have been
devastated. We were just with Julia a few
doors down, who is 77 years old. She only
has a small pension and social security
and now tens of thousands of dollars
of damage in a matter of minutes. She
said it was 10 minutes where there was
no water and suddenly the entire basement
was fl ooded. It was a huge amount
of damage; she does not have that money.
Almost everyone in this area would
never have that money. We have to get
them that money,” de Blasio said.
Schumer watched one man desperately
try to salvage photos of his
family by hanging each picture from
a clothesline. While so much property
received physical damage, the senator
also underscored the loss of memories,
family assets and sentimental clothing
that FEMA could never replace.
“A greater emotional impact are the
pictures, the memories that could never
be replaced,” Senator Schumer said. “It’s
A woman weeps as she clings to the mayor. Photos by Dean Moses
great news that the administration has
announced this morning — that President
Biden has announced this morning
— that we will be a major disaster area
that means that grants, not just loans,
but grants can go to individuals to help
make up for the damage that they have
here. It means the city can get reimbursed
for all of these expenses, and
it means that small businesses can get
loans if they were hurt by this as well.”
While Schumer explained that
Biden’s declaration is the fastest he’s
seen, Ocasio-Cortez pointed out the
need for insurance companies to do
their part by providing payment for
the excessive damage.
“The major disaster declaration that
President Biden has issued this morning
is going to be an incredibly important
step for families, homeowners and
renters to be eligible for up to, I believe,
$34,000 in grants from FEMA aft er the
major disaster declaration,” Ocasio-
Cortez said, adding that if anyone was
exposed to fl oodwater and is feeling
ill, she urges them to seek immediate
medical attention.
“Floodwater is not just elevated
rainwater that is backed up; there are
chemicals, there is sewage in there.
If you are feeling ill in the aft ermath
of the storm, seek medical help,” she
implored.
Schumer and Ocasio-Cortez stated
that there many issues that need to
be addressed, such as updating sewer
infrastructure, creating a fl ood prevention
plan to make sure something like
this does not happen again, and holding
insurance companies accountable for
compensating families fairly.
“The bottom line is this is what
De Blasio speaks with a Queens resident.
climate change looks like. It’s going to
take a massive investment both to stop
the pain that people are feeling but also
to reverse what is happening to our
environment,” de Blasio said.
Many homeowners voiced their
concern to the elected offi cials that
their insurance will not cover a natural
disaster; however, Ocasio-Cortez assured
them that this was also a sewage
problem, which is covered.
“Every single community that has experienced
this fl ooding has been saying
that this connected to sewer issues that
have been mounting over years and so
this is not just about a sudden fl ash
fl ood. This is about any sort of heavy
rain where the sewer system has been
backing up into people’s homes. That
should be eligible for a home insurance
claim, and we are going to have to push
back and fi ght with insurance companies
because they are going to try and
get out of compensating families that
the damages they are owed,” Ocasio-
Cortez said.
Schneps Media was invited into a
Woodside resident’s home to discuss
her experience before and aft er Hurricane
Ida hit.
Litzy Qutierez lives in Woodside
along 48th Avenue and her entire
apartment was destroyed by the fl ood.
While she says the landlord still has
not set foot in her building to assess the
damage or inform her if the property
is covered by insurance, she is hopeful
that with the elected offi cials’ visit, aid
will come.
“It was a matter of minutes when
everything got fl ooded,” Qutierez said.
“Most of us got the alert aft er it happened.
We get like a normal fl ood when
it rains but not like that. It’s devastating
to see your home getting destroyed in a
matter of minutes.”
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