WESTWOOD—Four homes might soon be elevated to protect them from flooding if an anticipated $1 million grant to the borough comes through from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Mayor Raymond Arroyo recently said the borough has applied for the grant as another tool in its arsenal to help local homeowners suffering from repeated flooding.
The structures eyed to be elevated are on Harding, Fitzgerald, and Benson avenues, Mayor Raymond Arroyo recently said.
Arroyo previously said that Westwood will also conduct a drone study of Pascack Brook to highlight challenges and obstructions, joining with Washington Township, Hillsdale, and River Vale to get a more comprehensive look at the Pascack drainage basin, including downed trees, sediment shoals, and eroded stream banks.
The borough also posted an application link for interested local homeowners to apply for the state’s Blue Acres Program, which says “Through Blue Acres, homeowners whose homes are storm-damaged or vulnerable to flooding have the option to sell. The program makes both families and communities more resilient to climate change.”
A notice posted on the borough website in late December said four homes are proposed to be elevated under FEMA’s Flood Mitigation Assistance Program. “The proposed scope of work consists of elevating flood-prone homes to the base flood elevation (BFE), as indicated by best available flood map data, plus a minimum of two feet of freeboard. Raising the living spaces will offer protection to the homeowners and their belongings.”
It adds, “FEMA has determined that elevating the structures is the most practicable alternative to ensure that the homes and their occupants are out of harm’s way. FEMA has also determined that investment of funds to reduce flood risk is in the public interest.”
Westwood is also the lead agency in a two-year, $200,000 state-grant funded study with Stevens Institute of Technology to better manage reservoir operations and rainfall to help conserve water resources while mitigating downstream flooding from reservoirs during severe storm events.
The funds will be used to help gather and analyze data that will be used to build a Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) computer model for optimizing reservoir capacity while mitigating flooding during weather events.
“After reviewing the comprehensive scope of work, Stevens Institute estimates a 24-month duration, start-to-finish and publishing of a final report,” Arroyo told us in mid-December. “We will be updating on the progress and milestones as the study proceeds.”
At the August grant announcement, valley resident and District 39 State Sen. Holly Schepisi—who was instrumental in obtaining state funds—said the FIRO study should provide the tool for reservoir operators to raise and lower water reservoir levels “proactively” before a storm hits to help mitigate downstream flooding and maintain optimum reservoir levels for water supply purposes.
Arroyo noted once the study is completed, “This will provide the science to show that you’re not losing the asset [the water supply] and at the same time we’re not going to get flooded.”
Towns take pounding, with more eyed this weekend
Jan. 10, 2024 from Westwood Mayor Ray Arroyo to residents, via Facebook…
Dear residents: Westwood saw significant flooding from the Jan. 9–10 rainstorm. The Borough received 2.66 inches, while further up the Pascack Brook, Pearl River received 3.13 inches.
By 2 a.m. the water began rising rapidly, and by 4:30 a.m. there was significant flooding reported on Harding Avenue, Steuben Avenue, Nugent Place, along Broadway, at the Roxbury and 500 Center condominiums, and at Brookside Park. Flooding peaked at approximately 6 a.m., and water began receding thereafter.
Throughout the night the Borough’s OEM Coordinator Darren Blankenbush and Deputy Janet Dunn, along with Westwood Police Department, Public Works personnel, and the Borough’s Westwood Volunteer Fire Department and Westwood Volunteer Ambulance Corps, were actively monitoring conditions, providing updates and warnings, and responding to calls for aid.
Our heartfelt thanks to these men and women for their diligence and commitment to the residents of Westwood.
Finally in-house, highly accurate weather watcher Janet Dunn reports that another storm is expected Friday into Saturday, with rainfall totals predicted to be 1.5 to 2 inches.
We will monitor this storm as it approaches.
