Dozens of Underwood families remain displaced

PLATTSBURGH | As many as 51 families of the Underwood Estates Mobile Home Park in Plattsburgh remain without a home following major flooding last month. A temporary shelter set up by the American Red Cross has now been closed due to low use, Mayor Colin Read said, and the Clinton County Department of Health continues to seek short- and long-term housing for residents whose homes have been deemed inhabitable by the city's Building Inspector's Office. FEMA FUNDING SOUGHT "I don't think I can even possibly overstate the displacement of individuals down there," Read said at a Common Council meeting on Jan. 25. Approximately 30 homes may be permanently destroyed, he said. "This has displaced many, many of our residents." He estimated from the over 70 homes effected by floodwater, only 24 families had been able to return home as of last Thursday. Permanent housing could be found for only 8-9 families, the mayor said. "Many people are staying with relatives or temporarily housed in hotel rooms. Some people have tried to make it back to places that managed to stay dry." City Building Inspector Joe McMahon said that the east end of the park is still without power as electricians complete another round of inspections on the damaged homes. Read hopes to secure FEMA funding to help with individual aid, though the property values in the park doesn't meet the threshold to trigger a disaster declaration by the state. "I understand that total damage to be FEMA eligible is a threshold based on a formula that multiplies the population of the state by $1.41," Read told The Sun in an email. "That comes up to around $26 million for New York state, but perhaps only $800,000 for Vermont. So, while this disaster is huge for Plattsburgh, because Plattsburgh is in New York and not in Vermont, the governor cannot declare this an emergency." But other disasters around the state related to flooding and ice jams might exceed that threshold later this winter, he said. "Already there have been a number of other incidents elsewhere, but not as big as ours." The city has been in contact with Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office, as well as state Sen. Betty Little (R-Queensbury), Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay), a representative of the federal Small Business Association and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-Willsboro). "I think we're going to be talking about this for many many years to come," Read said. GONE Sherri Provost lost her home in the flooding, which was caused by an ice jam in the Saranac River. Provost, 60, has lived in Underwood for nearly her entire life, and in her current home, for 34 years. She raised her kids there, a daughter and a son. Her father helped build the interior, installing sleek knotty pine along the walls. "Oh, it was beautiful," she said. The home was her sanctuary. It was filled with love and memories. It was everything she'd worked her entire life to build. And it's all gone. Two feet of water infiltrated her home, Provost said, destroying the interior. She's staying with her daughter now. But she doesn't want to be a burden. "Where I'm going to end up… I have no idea," she said. She still hasn't seen the damage first-hand — her children don't want her to. Not yet. "They say it's bad. They don't want me to see," she said. Tears welled up in her eyes. "All I took were my fur babies and a couple of outfits," she said. "I thought I'd be back." 'THEY COULD'VE CONTAINED IT' Provost and her neighbors, Sandra LaPierre, Joseph Ramistella, Regena Rock and James Hunt, all with homes severely damaged by the flooding, just want some answers. How did the flooding get so bad? With a history of flooding, could the damage have been foreseen and prevented? And now that the damage is done, what happens now? Each of these residents told The Sun that they, or one of their neighbors, had called various law enforcement and public safety agencies — including the New York State Police, Plattsburgh City Police and Plattsburgh City Fire Department — warning them that the water was rising. Ramistella said that he first called the state police on Friday at 8 p.m., over two days before a state of emergency was called. Hunt said he, too, called days in advance. "They flooded us out on purpose," he said. "They could've contained it." But Underwood Estates is private property, said the mayor. Because of this, to respond to the disaster, a formal state of emergency had to be called first. Within five minutes of being notified of the situation by county emergency services personnel, he signed the state of emergency order, Read told The Sun. Clinton County Emergency Services Assistant Director Kelly Donoghue said that first responders did everything they could to drain the water from the park. "We were trying to assist with water removal," he said. The response team made sure that the catch basins were clear and at one point brought in sand bags to redirect the water. But residents deny that the sand bags were deployed and say that a berm surrounding the park was damaged, making the flooding worse. All agree on one thing: the park was overwhelmed with water. "At one point, it was like the river was running through the park," Donoghue said. "I think the water drained quickly," McMahon said. "Considering the situation, I believe everyone worked quickly and efficiently." COMMUNITY EFFORT A number of local and non-profits have banded together to get help for the residents still displaced. The American Red Cross, United Way of the Adirondack Region and a number of other local agencies organized a resource center and shelter on Route 9 last week. Students at the Arthur P. Momot Elementary School in the city held a four day fundraiser this week to benefit 10 families connected to the school that were effected by the flood. A collection jar has been installed at the North Country Food Co-Op, a representative said at the Plattsburgh March for Unity and Respect last month. A number of residents have been posting on a Facebook page called "Plattsburgh Underwood Help Is Here" offering everything from clothes to toys, cookware and books. SUNY Plattsburgh has offered to house residents in unused dorms, Read said. "We're your people," Hunt said. "This is a moment in time where we can show that we're a community."

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Dozens of Underwood families remain displaced

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