Published: February 28, 2008 11:00 pm      

Officials: Preventing floods a priority

Officials emerged from a regional flood summit in Binghamton on Thursday with plans to spend $650,000 on local flood-mitigation projects.

Meanwhile, local officials emphasized a focus on flood control and prevention rather than post-flood actions.

The state-funded projects would address watershed management and would be eligible for funding through the State Emergency Management Office.

Deputy Secretary for Public Safety Michael Balboni announced the funding at the 2008 Flood Summit in Binghamton.

The summit was proposed by Gov. Eliot Spitzer for discussing issues associated with flooding, such as watershed management, state and local responses and ways government can better protect residents and property.

During the last four years, New York had nine floods that were declared major federal disasters.

"Today's summit brings together state and local officials, as well as other stakeholders, to develop a comprehensive strategy to address flooding across the state," Spitzer said in a media release. "With the funds made available today, state emergency management will enable local governments to help their communities mitigate, prepare for and respond to flooding."

On Thursday, representatives from the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the Upper Susquehanna Coalition discussed watershed management topics including stream maintenance, stream-bank stabilization and permitting.

Dave Nicosia, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Binghamton, talked about monitoring weather patterns and issuing alerts.

The Steuben County Office of Emergency Management director discussed river- and stream-monitoring systems.

A third panel comprised of representatives from the DEC, state police, the Office of Fire Prevention and Control, SEMO and the Broome County Office of Emergency Services discussed search-and-rescue issues.

John Woodyshek, Sidney village engineer, said the summit provided a lot of information, but he added that he believes the emphasis should be on flood control and flood prevention. He suggested that a task force be set up to deal with those issues.

"We need to go back and deal with a whole series of things that have already happened," Woodyshek said.

"We need a substantial state investment in flood prevention," Sen. John Bonacic, R-Mount Hope, said. "There is simply no reason why we should spend millions of dollars on post-flood activity when we can invest monies more wisely in pre-flood mitigation. This funding is a good first step, but we will need a continuous investment in order to provide a permanent solution to prevent flood damage."

"It is important that we act prospectively on the issue of flooding," Assemblyman Clifford Crouch, R-Guilford, said. "This will probably involve a change in the way we think and conduct business, but it is necessary to protect lives and property in the future."

Balboni said, "It is vital that federal, state and local officials work together to address the problem of persistent flooding. We've taken an important first step by providing a forum for the issues to be discussed in a comprehensive way. The communities who have experienced nature's fury firsthand are a wonderful resource as we craft solutions moving forward."

Examples of projects eligible for grant money include:

ä Working with local public works officials and contractors to determine appropriate stream management techniques for their community;

ä Educating local elected officials about techniques to protect and restore important public documents that could be damaged in a disaster;

ä Training school officials about steps they can take to avoid the loss of life, destruction of records, or damage to public educational facilities;

ä Identifying local hazards and developing related outreach activities;

ä Developing and implementing public awareness or education campaigns about locally-identified risks and appropriate preparation and response.

The summit, which was broadcast on the Web, can be downloaded from the SEMO website at www.semo.state.ny.us.

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Patricia Breakey can be reached at 746-2894 or at stardelhi@stny.rr.com.