Whaley Lake Bridge Disaster Remains 9 Months After Hurricane Ida Destroyed It
On Sept. 2, 2021, Hurricane Ida destroyed the Lakeview Drive bridge, road and beach access in Holmes, NY. These are part of a non-profit lakeside community of 103 homes (known as Shore Haven Civic Assoc.), a mix of fixed-income older people, working families with children, and seasonal residents. After having been denied by FEMA, SBA, insurance, NY State, and other outreach entities, a GoFundMe campaign https://gofund.me/5d0063fb has been set up to try to raise $50,000 to replace the bridge.
Holmes, NY, June 06, 2022 --(PR.com)-- On Sept. 2, 2021, Hurricane Ida destroyed the Lakeview Drive bridge, road and beach access at Whaley Lake in Holmes, Town of Pawling, NY.
These are all part of a non-profit lakeside community of 103 homes (known as Shore Haven Civic Association), a mix of fixed-income older people, working families with children, and seasonal residents.
Both elderly residents and children are at high risk of injury or death as they try to cross through the very treacherous rubble to access the beach to fish, swim or use their boats or just walk down the road.
Large daily delivery service trucks are required to turn around on our very narrow road or to back down our road. Ambulances, fire trucks and police are seriously hindered by the lack of a bridge in extremely rushed circumstances. This puts the entire community at risk, not just of liability in the event of accidents but also loss of life in the face of medical or fire emergencies.
To avoid having another storm destroy a new bridge, it will need to be built better than it was per current regulations, able to withstand massive amounts of water and support heavier vehicles safely. This is expensive. The annual association dues of $600 only covers costs to maintain the private unpaved roads, beaches, insurance, taxes and lawyer. There is no surplus to afford the critical engineering, excavation and building costs involved with a bridge. The goal is to try to raise $50,000 for these purposes.
What Has Been Done To Get Help So Far?
Since insurance wouldn’t cover flood damage, 28 Shore Haven residents applied to FEMA as individuals, and when denied, 22 appealed with valuable legal input. FEMA responded to each appeal with denial letters which stated that each individual had access to their homes without the bridge. The SBA denied a request for a loan saying that Shore Haven demonstrated no ability to repay. Help sought from national and local engineering outreach programs went unanswered because of ineligibility.
In addition, 15 elected political representatives were approached who advocated on behalf of this community to FEMA, the SBA, Dutchess County and Homeland Security (DHSES) many times to assist in fixing the bridge. Unfortunately, their efforts have not resulted in success.
Having exhausted all possible sources for help, a GoFundMe campaign has been set up at this link: https://gofund.me/5d0063fb
Anyone who wants to donate materials, equipment or manpower are encouraged as well. Please contact Marilyn Bontempo at midhudsonmarketing@yahoo.com.
View the Sept 2 Lakeview Drive flood video by resident Melanie Hopwood: https://youtu.be/RsezpHkrVks
These are all part of a non-profit lakeside community of 103 homes (known as Shore Haven Civic Association), a mix of fixed-income older people, working families with children, and seasonal residents.
Both elderly residents and children are at high risk of injury or death as they try to cross through the very treacherous rubble to access the beach to fish, swim or use their boats or just walk down the road.
Large daily delivery service trucks are required to turn around on our very narrow road or to back down our road. Ambulances, fire trucks and police are seriously hindered by the lack of a bridge in extremely rushed circumstances. This puts the entire community at risk, not just of liability in the event of accidents but also loss of life in the face of medical or fire emergencies.
To avoid having another storm destroy a new bridge, it will need to be built better than it was per current regulations, able to withstand massive amounts of water and support heavier vehicles safely. This is expensive. The annual association dues of $600 only covers costs to maintain the private unpaved roads, beaches, insurance, taxes and lawyer. There is no surplus to afford the critical engineering, excavation and building costs involved with a bridge. The goal is to try to raise $50,000 for these purposes.
What Has Been Done To Get Help So Far?
Since insurance wouldn’t cover flood damage, 28 Shore Haven residents applied to FEMA as individuals, and when denied, 22 appealed with valuable legal input. FEMA responded to each appeal with denial letters which stated that each individual had access to their homes without the bridge. The SBA denied a request for a loan saying that Shore Haven demonstrated no ability to repay. Help sought from national and local engineering outreach programs went unanswered because of ineligibility.
In addition, 15 elected political representatives were approached who advocated on behalf of this community to FEMA, the SBA, Dutchess County and Homeland Security (DHSES) many times to assist in fixing the bridge. Unfortunately, their efforts have not resulted in success.
Having exhausted all possible sources for help, a GoFundMe campaign has been set up at this link: https://gofund.me/5d0063fb
Anyone who wants to donate materials, equipment or manpower are encouraged as well. Please contact Marilyn Bontempo at midhudsonmarketing@yahoo.com.
View the Sept 2 Lakeview Drive flood video by resident Melanie Hopwood: https://youtu.be/RsezpHkrVks
Contact
Mid-Hudson Marketing
Marilyn Bontempo
845-493-0070
www.midhudsonmarketing.com
Marilyn Bontempo
845-493-0070
www.midhudsonmarketing.com
Contact
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