Bishop seeks separate aid for Smithtown flood victims

After touring Smithtown homes with flooded basements and ongoing mold from the March storms, Rep. Tim Bishop said Tuesday he would petition federal officials to broaden a disaster declaration, paving the way for individualized aid to homeowners.

The Southampton Democrat said he would also ask the Federal Emergency Management Agency for pre-disaster mitigation - money he said would allow homeowners and municipalities to come up with engineering solutions to the flooding problems.

Smithtown officials announced they will meet Wednesday with county officials to discuss expanding the dredging of Nissequogue River.

Dredging could help alleviate the rising groundwater problem plaguing the area. The first phase, paid for mostly with money from county funds, was successful, said Smithtown engineer Ted Sanford.

Tuesday, the town approved spending $500,000 from its reserves to continue the next phase of dredging, which would take place this summer. Town officials hope half the cost would be reimbursed by the county.

"There has to be an engineering solution," said Bishop, who hopes to get federal funds for the project within the next year. If that fails, he will ask for an earmark to pay for the work, but that would take as much as 18 months longer, he said.

Bishop said he hoped that by combining the effects of the two March storms, he can get the region declared a disaster area to enable homeowners to be eligible for individualized aid under FEMA regulations. Bishop said Rhode Island and Connecticut were approved under such a scenario.

The homes, scattered throughout Smithtown, have groundwater seeping into basements and potentially weakening septic systems.

Resident Eileen Cook told Bishop and other officials she runs a draining system to keep water out of her basement. Her family has spent more than $15,000 to mitigate the issue, she said.

Last month hundreds of homeowners attended a town board meeting seeking aid, telling stories of children sick from mold and thousands of dollars spent to help keep their homes dry.