no place safe?

[The*Empress]

we got earthquake, hurricane, blizzard, wildfire, now we got flooding... ACK!!!! I wonder if Fema got enough money.

Updated: 04:54 PM EDT
Soggy Northeast Faces Prospect of More Floods
Waters Leave 10 Dead, Four Missing in New Hampshire
By WAYNE PARRY, AP

TRENTON, N.J. (Oct. 13) - A seventh straight day of rain across much of the soggy Northeast trapped motorists in their cars, delayed airline flights and sent streams surging over their banks Thursday.

Severe flooding washed away four to five miles of this road in Alstead, N.H.

Flood warnings covered parts of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, and residents in some New Jersey communities were urged to evacuate their homes.

Northern New Jersey received as much as 4 1/2 inches of rain in 48 hours, and forecasters said some areas of the state could get 2 inches more by Friday. A deluge over the weekend dumped about 5 inches across the state and as much as 10 in a few spots.

The rain was expected to continue through Saturday.

Across the Northeast, at least 10 people have died since last weekend because of the downpours, and four others were missing in New Hampshire.

"We're just bracing for the next storm," said Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney. "But we're not building an ark just yet." :|

In New York City's Central Park, close to an inch of rain had fallen by midmorning Thursday, on top of 4.26 inches on Wednesday.

Water covered dozens of highways and roads around the region, including part of the Garden State Parkway, and police rescued people from a vehicle that had stalled in floodwaters in Jersey City.

Incoming flights at two of the region's three major airports were delayed by more than an hour and a half.

In Connecticut, thousands of homes and businesses lost power, including the University of Bridgeport, which canceled classes Thursday. The downpours came after a dry spell across much of the region.

"We literally had a drought meeting the day before. I highly suspect when we get together next week, the drought for the time being is over," said Douglas Glowacki, an environmental analyst with the state of Connecticut.

New Jersey activated its emergency management office, getting high-water rescue vehicles and swift-boat rescue teams ready.

The rain-swollen Raritan River was being closely watched in Bound Brook and Manville, where flooding from Tropical Storm Floyd in 1999 proved devastating.

Alstead, N.H., a town of 2,000, suffered the most damage from last weekend's flooding. At least 12 homes were washed away and dozens more were damaged heavily.


10/13/05 15:55 EDT

 

[The*Empress]

Mass needs to ban gay marriage, God is mad.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005 8:15 PM

Governor promises flood aid for Western Mass.

(Boston - AP) — Governor Romney traveled to flood-drenched portions of western Massachusetts today, just hours after promising aid to area.

The governor traveled along damaged stretches of Route 2 with state Highway Department officials and visited the hardest hit areas in Greenfield.

Romney met earlier in the day with more than a dozen lawmakers from western parts of the state.

He says region could qualify for federal aid, but even if it doesn't, the state will look at ways to help out communities and people harmed by the flooding.

The meeting in Romney's office followed sharp criticism of the administration's response to the flooding from some western Massachusetts lawmakers.

Among the critics was Greenfield Mayor Christine Forgey, who is seeking state and federal disaster assistance.

Romney says administration officials were on top of the situation, and believes the flooding did NOT warrant his early return from North Carolina, where he was attending fund-raisers.

Romney promises aid for flooded Western Mass.By Theo Emery / Associated Press
Thursday, October 13, 2005

BOSTON -- Gov. Mitt Romney, who has faced criticism for his response to flooding in Western Massachusetts, promised aid to the affected communities yesterday after meeting with the region's lawmakers.

Romney met for an hour with Senators and Representatives from areas that received nearly a foot of rain last week, with more expected yesterday and in coming days.

"We're safe and sound. Now the question is how are we going to pay for the damage that's been caused," Romney said.

With about a half-dozen lawmakers assembled behind him, Romney said that the state could qualify for federal aid, if the amount of damage reaches $6.5 million. Even if it doesn't, he said that he will work with the legislature on a spending bill to aid cities and towns.

In addition, he said that $25 million in funds allocated to help pay for aid to Hurricane Katrina victims could be used to help individuals who have suffered losses in the floods.

"Clearly it's the intent of these legislators and the administration to provide at least the same level of support to individuals from our own state that have been affected by flooding, as we provided to people who come here from the devastation on the Gulf Coast," he said.

After meeting with reporters, he departed for Western Massachusetts to view the damage himself.

In Greenfield, the hardest hit town in Franklin County, about 75 people were displaced after the Green River crested and destroyed their mobile homes. In other parts of the city, farmland was flooded, roads were washed out and bridges, dams and sewer lines were damaged.

Greenfield Mayor Christine Forgey said damage estimates have already reached $500,000 and may exceed $1 million.

Forgey said she spoke with Romney by telephone yesterday morning and encouraged the governor to declare a state of emergency for Massachusetts. That would allow her to go after federal disaster assistance that she says is needed to help the people who lost their homes in the Wedgewood Gardens mobile home park.

"The governor did not drop the phone and do what I wanted him to do, but I'm certain I made an impression," Forgey said.

Some local officials and lawmakers have criticized Romney for not responding more quickly to the flooding. Rep. Christopher Donelan, D-Orange, who was not at yesterday's meeting, said he was dismayed by how little the administration appeared to know about the damage.

"It's amazing to me that the governor's people aren't more on top of this," he said. "The people I talked to had no clue anything happened out here. In western Massachusetts, you really have to shake the tree hard to get anything."



Romney, when asked about that criticism, said that administration staff was quick to respond and assess damage in all 120 cities and towns. He also said that the flooding was not severe enough to warrant his early return from North Carolina on Monday, where he was attending fund-raisers for an organization there.

"The floods weren't of a nature of such significance on Monday, based upon the reports, that suggested that my being in Western Mass would have made any difference whatsoever," he said, later adding: "There will always be occasion for people to say why didn't you do it this way or that way. You do the best you can, based on the information you have."

Other lawmakers said following the meeting that they were reassured by what the governor had said. Sen. Stephen Brewer, D-Barre, had words of criticism going into the meeting, but afterward said he was satisfied by what the governor said.

Officials from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency have said the state will assess the damage in Greenfield and other communities before deciding if they qualify for federal disaster relief.

"We're in an area where we do get flooding from time to time," said Donn Brechenser, who said his 75-acre farm by Falls River was mostly underwater. "Historically, the town's been wonderful, and the town has been terrific this time. But we don't see anything from the state."
Fred Alden, Greenfield's director of emergency management, said that despite a rainy weather forecast for the rest of the week, Franklin County will likely be spared any more heavy flooding.

"Most of the rivers are below flood stage," he said. "And that storm on Saturday pretty much covered our flood plain, anyway. Any damage that could've been done has pretty much been done already."

 

[RedFox]

My home is in New York near Vermont. I hope my family didn't have too much trouble. The house is on high ground surrounded by swamps.

 

[kuifje75]

I remember Hurricane Floyd. I was living about 10 miles from Bound Brook and my work was right next to Bound Brook. I remember driving through the flooded road. It was so bad, my work was closed for 2 days.

We always have had natural disasters. There is no reason for crying out that its getting worse and worse, etc... It's part of life.

 

[The*Empress]

yeah it is kinda stupid for people to drive on flooded street.