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PATERSON, N.J. (PIX11) — People whose homes flooded during mid-December’s heavy rains will be eligible for a new, somewhat unconventional financial assistance program that the city of Paterson is helping oversee. But even as it was announced publicly on Wednesday, fund administrators as well as potential aid recipients were eyeing predictions that river levels could rise again.
The program is funded by private donors, administered by United Way of Passaic County, and coordinated by the City of Paterson.
Mayor Andre Sayegh officially announced the new measures late Wednesday morning. Among those in attendance was Angeles Rosario, whose home was severely damaged in the pre-Christmas floods.
“There’s no water, there’s no water” [a] It’s a heater,” Rosario told PIX11 News in an interview outside her home, about 100 meters from the Passaic River. “I have to stay here because the baby has to go to school.”
Her family was one of about 30 families evacuated by storm flooding in mid-December. The flooding also left thousands of other Paterson residents stranded in their homes with more than 30 closed streets. Schools in the city were closed for two weeks.
According to the mayor, various challenges led to the new program.
“Patterson is here to help,” Sayegh said in an announcement at Paterson City Hall.
Sayegh was flanked on stage by a variety of people, including Mary Celis, president and CEO of the United Way of Passaic County. At the ceremony, they received a check for $10,000 toward a new flood assistance program.
Michelle Ortega, another flood victim, also joined the mayor.
She said her car was submerged in water and was a total loss. As a result, she had to evacuate her home.
“I have never [before] I have never been on a fire department boat in my life. I never had to swim out of dirty water to get out of my house,” she said of her evacuation experience.
After losing so much from her life in the aftermath of the floods, she said the new funding would help, no matter how much she qualified for it.
“[Even] Something is moving forward,” she said in an interview.
The city of Paterson established the partnership program to ensure there is little or no bureaucracy involved, Sayegh said. That’s why nonprofits manage the funds, rather than the city itself, he said.
The mayor said the city’s main role is to connect flood victims with new resources.
“If you are in trouble, please contact our office and we will make sure to connect you with the individuals who are organizing the fund,” Sayegh said in an interview after the announcement.
Sayegh added that he is doing the same as many city residents affected by December’s floods. They say they are keeping an eye on the forecast for this weekend as well as water levels in the Passaic River. Rain and rapid melting snow could cause rivers that are still swollen to rise again.
Rosario, who returned to her home this week after being flooded for much of the last two weeks of December, expressed concern.
“I don’t know what [will happen on] Saturday,” Rosario said of the weekend forecast. “But I’m nervous about this.”
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