Mamaroneck residents hit hard by Ida scramble for resources with recovery underway

More than 500 families in the village of just 19,000 people are in desperate need of food, places to live and money -- and they are scrambling for resources.

News 12 Staff

Sep 11, 2021, 12:23 AM

Updated 952 days ago

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Recovery efforts are moving into their next phase after Ida swept through the area last week, including in downtown Mamaroneck which was under nearly 10 feet of water.
More than 500 families in the village of just 19,000 people are in desperate need of food, places to live and money -- and they are scrambling for resources.
Months' worth of personal items are piled high in Mamaroneck as a painful reminder of how much Ida took from people there more than a week ago.
Residents like Rose Gaffney are looking to rebuild. She spoke with the Red Cross and FEMA at the village's Resource Center.
"I just came to fill out an application form and see if we can qualify," she says.
Gaffney is among the thousands who lost everything. The storm swallowed up her home and car overnight.
"We couldn't open the front door because the water was very high, and it would've come in the house, so we had to escape through a window," she says.
Gaffney spent the last 10 days living in a motel, but is hoping she'll be back inside a new apartment soon.
Village officials are doing everything they can to help.
"Our people have been treated with respect and dignity and we're going to keep doing that until the last teddy bear is picked up in this community," says Mamaroneck Mayor Tom Murphy.
Every storm comes with a risk of flooding in Mamaroneck, but Murphy says it doesn't have to be this way.
He continues to push for the federal government to complete a flood plan to stop this much damage from happening ever again.
People who still need help can visit the village courthouse. The Recovery Center will be open all weekend to help get people what they need.


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