Politics & Government

'Mill River is Not Forgotten'

Village lobbying for funds to help prevent flooding near river.

John Reilly had a simple message for the village board: not everyone escaped Superstorm Sandy unscathed.

The home of Reilly, and at least 15 of his neighbors on Riverside Drive, were flooded by water from Mill River during the October 2012 storm, he said. Reilly estimates there was $100,000 worth of damage to his house.

“Some people who live in Rockville Centre don’t know there’s a river here,” he said. “Some of the weakest parts of our infrastructure are by Mill River and the bridge over it.”

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Mayor Francis Murray said that “Mill River is not forgotten,” with the village lobbying in Washington and Albany for funds to fix the shore line there. Other Sandy-related projects include building up the firehouse so it can house an Office of Emergency Management station and powering up the electrical department so it can help provide power for neighboring communities during disasters.

The village’s grant writer, Kathleen Murray (no relation to the mayor), said that individuals were encouraged to seek help from New York Rising for home projects, such as fixing bulkheads or raising houses.

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The village has petitioned New York Rising for generators and the Mill River fix. A determination about the projects has been made, but the village has not received a response yet, she said.


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