After feeling the impact of Hurricane Ida, Hoboken Council-at-Large candidate Sheila Brennan is presenting a flood relief plan that includes strengthening local partnerships and providing more education on the issue.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Like many in Hoboken, my neighbors and I suffered damage and lost our personal belongings after three feet of water flooded our basements from Hurricane Ida,” Brennan, a member of the Independently Together team, said in a statement.
“In the weeks since the storm, I’ve spoken with countless residents who all agree that we can no longer accept excuses and inaction from the city on the everyday flooding we experience. While long-term investments in resiliency and storm water management, like Rebuild by Design, are necessary and I fully support, they fall woefully short of addressing the pressing needs of Hoboken residents today.”
A key part of her plan includes working with the North Hudson Sewerage Authority, which serves Hoboken, Union City, Weehawken, and West New York.
Her plan says the administration and city council need to work with and urge the NHSA to
staff a dedicated, experienced professional to provide advice to Hoboken residents on what they can do to mitigate against flood risk, regularly update their website and add a FAQ
Brennan also suggested that they could survey after rain events to collect feedback on flooding to better identify and address localized flooding issues.
Furthermore, she suggest that city and NHSA officials host annual educational seminars and taking a closer look at the city’s water pipe capacity.
“The city needs to engage an engineer to perform an independent review of our underground system and bring a fresh perspective to identify pinch points that contribute to localized flooding that may be caused by factors such as smaller pipes, blockages, and increased volume from expanded population, and then guide our community on near term steps we can take that are within our control,” Brennan’s plan asserts.
She continues that the NHSA has estimated that the have 40 percent excess capacity, which could potentially be improved by cleaning pipes and catch basins more frequently, fixing or replacing compromised pipes.
While the projected $3 billion cost to separate the city’s sewer and water rain system, Brennan states that the city needs a plan B to upgrade the existing once since Hoboken residents “need help today and they deserve better.”
The non-partisan Hoboken municipal elections, where 10 council-at-large candidates are seeking three seats, are on November 2nd.