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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.   Although 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, I was unaware of what I would later discover happened to many New Rochelle homes.  

My instinctive reaction to his call was to try to help in some way.   I figured 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.   Officials at the command center told me that 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.   Many residents eagerly accepted my offer of help by recording their experiences on videotape in case the videoclips could be helpful to others later.   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 have uploaded 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.

During the following days, I received two other recorded phone messages from Mayor Noam Bramson to my two phones.   The April 25th message brought the good news that Westchester County had been designated a Federal Disaster Area and would be able to get financial assistance from FEMA and also that Disaster Recovery Centers would be set up 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.   His April 28th phone message announced that a Disaster Recovery Center had been set up at 90 Beaufort Place in New Rochelle.

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.