Earth’s weather patterns are constantly changing due to the detrimental effects of global warming. Unfortunately, global warming is impacting Rye Brook, along with nearby towns and cities across the coast. This is especially evident after Hurricane Ida which caused damaging flooding for many Rye Brook residents.
Hurricanes pose a much larger threat in the 21st century than in others before. An excessive amount of greenhouse gas emissions have intoxicated our planet to an unimaginable extent, and many fear the drastic change in weather patterns. These changes will cause more violent and stronger storms in the near future.
Despite Earth’s rapid alterications, Rye Brook’s Mayor Paul Rosenburg is taking strides to solve these flooding problems. He is currently working with New York State and Suny Representatives to restore and improve the detention basin at the beginning of the Blind Brook. This detention basin was able to hold back one million gallons of water during flooding, but was recently damaged by Hurricane Ida. Not only did the storm damage the detention basin, but also caused pipes around it to explode.
The flawless timing of Hurricane Ida caught the ocean at high tide, which caused an immense amount of backup in the drainage system, making it the “perfect storm.” After Hurricane Ida, Mayor Rosenburg and the Public Works Department began working to fix this problem straight away. Mayor Rosenberg went about improving the detention basin with New York State, while the Public Works Department cleaned and blocked off roads to ensure the safety of all Rye Brook residents.
The Mayor discusses possible future storms: “We will absolutely be seeing more of these storms,” he said, “Global warming has probably changed our weather patterns for good.” Mayor Rosenburg went on to explain that the actions he is taking with the Public Works Department at this very moment are preparing Rye Brook for future storms.
One of the people directly affected by the storm is Rye Brook resident Catherine Vnenchak. Her home is located right next to the Blind Brook, which rose many feet and broke the house’s garage door.
Mrs. Vnenchak explains Hurricane Ida’s impacts on her house: “With five feet of water in our basement and garage, we suffered a great deal of damage to our utilities, electric, etc. Fortunately, we have flood insurance and most, if not all, of the loss will be recouped.”
Mrs. Vnenchak’s home was not the only one affected by the flooding. Freshman Natalie Carey experienced something very similar. Carey talks about her and her family’s reaction to the flooding: “I was panicking and my family was very stressed out.” Carey then states that her family did not seek outside help with reparations for the storm, but instead fixed it themselves. This is an example of the manual labor some had to go through because of the storm, and what may continue to happen in the future.