(Word count = 1,095 words plus 61 words for About the Author)

My business phone and home phone are next to each other in my home office in New Rochelle, NY.   On Tuesday, April 17th, when I answered the home phone around noon, the mayor of New Rochelle, Noam Bramson, delivered an effective succinct message that a Storm Command Center had been set up at the corner of North Avenue and Hubert Place, in the center of New Rochelle.   Seconds later, my business phone rang with the same message.   I was aware of the severe storm, a nor-easter, that swept through the metro New York area, including Westchester County, and caused severe damage to several towns, especially Mamaroneck.   But I was unaware of what I would later discover happened to many New Rochelle homes.  

A few days before on Sunday, I had driven in the storm to videotape a celebration event at The Woodlands Senior Living Center in Ardsley, NY, the culmination of three poetry sessions, called Times of Our Lives, that brought together, for creative writing experiences, several senior residents and middle school children.   The project was coordinated by the Poetry Caravan of which I am a member.    Many roads were flooded and impassable.   I returned to my home to find three feet of water in my crawl-space basement, started my sump pumps, and by Monday afternoon the water was gone.   I worked into the early morning hours on Monday and Tuesday trying to complete the preparation of several client tax returns as their CPA.   My wife and daughter were away in Ireland for a family trip.   I fell out of touch with the papers and the television news, thinking that by Tuesday noon most matters had returned to normal, that is, until I responded to the mayor's call.

My reaction to his call was instinctive.   How could I help?   I thought to myself, I know, I could videotape the operations of the command center and some of the affected families in case the video record could be helpful for getting financial aid and other help from Federal Emergency Management Agency, insurance companies or helping organizations.   Then I realized my own time limitations.   I needed to finish several client tax returns by the end of the next day, the deadline.   I resolved my conflict by figuring I would go to the command center and volunteer my services for late the following day, Wednesday, and I'd work until 2 am to finish the returns.   However, when I arrived at the command center and spoke to officials, including Fire Commissioner Raymond "Doc" Kiernan, I quickly understood the severity of the flooding in that area.   Water had risen over four feet in the streets of North Avenue, from the high school south past Iona College and into the surrounding streets and homes.   As I walked down the streets in the neighborhood, I was floored by the extent of the havoc.   On Howard Parkway, and later on Brookside Place, house and house had in front of it many large trash bags and damaged furniture and appliances.   The residents going in and out of their homes had quickness in their step to continue the work they had been doing for days now.   As I spoke to a few residents and surveyed their damage in their basements and yards, I decided to return home to get my video camera and go back that day to right away record their experiences in case the videoclips could be helpful to others later.    I resolved that I could stay up even later than planned to do the tax returns.

With my video camera on my right shoulder, I talked with over ten families about what happened.   They had in common the fact that the flooding had dumped in many cases six feet of water in their basements and destroyed thousands of dollars of belongings, including irreplaceable memorabilia. Some of their reactions were similar, such as their determination, relief and strong survival spirit.   However, their individual reactions were different, as one might expect.   Some were extremely thankful it was not worse and that no deaths had occurred.   Others expressed gratitude for how city officials responded and others disappointment.   Many displayed hope and optimism but mixed with sadness.   A few told about the heroic acts of others, including Iona College students who had rescued children stuck in a flooding basement.   One man pointed to forty years worth of photo slides from scores of youth ministry programs, saddened that they may not be recoverable.   One woman was happy to have saved the baby book about her daughter, now in her twenties.    Another woman laid out hundreds of family photos on her living room floor, hoping the heater facing them would aid their drying and recapture precious memories. From family to family, I heard stories of people helping each other, and the community pulling together.    I am planning to upload many of these videoclips to my website at www.videovoom.com (under the "Events" category) and upload to www.youtube.com (search on New Rochelle) with the hope it will help others and perhaps bring some healing.

There were several lessons for me from this experience.   One message was that disastrous events could happen at any time outside of my control, that significantly affect life and money, and could happen right around me, like the flood just two miles away, without my knowing it.   I should be more mindful and not get so involved with my own activities, like the preparation of tax returns, that I become out of touch.   Related to this awareness is the need to provide time for unexpected events and to help whenever possible.   The events emphasized the importance of being prepared.   I was thankful that I resolved a possible water drainage problem on my property years ago, or else I too could have been a victim of severe flooding.   Yet, I started thinking about other areas of my life that may deserve attention to try to resolve underlying issues, and not just physical aspects.   Areas like finance, emotions, relationships, and contributions to my community.

Just before writing this on Wednesday morning, April 25th, I received another recorded phone message from Mayor Noam Bramson to my two phones.   This message brought the good news that Westchester County, along with the counties of Rockland and Orange, had been designated a Federal Disaster Area and would be able to get financial assistance from FEMA.   In addition, there will be set up Disaster Recovery Centers for temporary housing, grants for home repairs and low-cost loans.   People are encouraged to contact FEMA via the internet at www.FEMA.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362.

About the author:

Frank Sisco is a CPA and Personal Financial Specialist and writes on topics related to life and money.   You can contact Frank by email at ideasmoney@aol.com or by phone at 914.740.4422 in order to express your opinion about this article or to obtain copies of prior articles.   He resides in New Rochelle, NY with his wife and daughter.