Elected officials announced the findings of a new report they hope will bring some much needed help to flood victims impacted by the Halloween storm.

What You Need To Know

  • Elected officials announced the findings of the Sauquoit Creek Drainage study

  • The study shows the science of what happened on Halloween and how certain Whitesboro neighborhoods were impacted

  • Residents and local leaders hope the findings will help bring assistance to flood victims

  • Several properties in Whitesboro are still damaged, with some residents still unable to return home

"Which is really going to help us make the case at the federal level for future flood mitigation and buyout decisions that need to be made,” said Congressman Anthony Brindisi.

The new findings are from the Sauquoit Creek Drainage Study conducted by the Sauquoit Creek Basin Intermunicipal Commission. It shows the science of what happened on Halloween.

"The report is basically an individual street area, individually, at a time, saying exactly how high the water impacted inside and outside of the residence,” Whitesboro Mayor Bob Friedlander said.

The report approximates over 60 homes in the village had potentially critical flood damage to their foundations or basements, many with their first floor submerged.

"Some of them were four feet, so there are certain areas that are just not safe to live in,” Ron Loubier, the co-founder of the Whitesboro Water Warriors group, said.

Residents, like Loubier, are hoping this new information will lead to assistance—especially buyouts, "We can't wait any longer," he said. "It needs to be done, and it needs to be done now. We know that the time frame is three to five years, well we're approaching a year mark, it's time to move, it's time to get the ball rolling."

Approaching that year mark, several Whitesboro homes still show the scars of what happened on Halloween, "There are still residents that have not been able, have not gone back into their homes,” the mayor said.

The study also shows that flooding begins upstream from the village’s CSX Bridge; something officials say makes evacuations more difficult.

Rep. Brindisi is sending the report to FEMA and the USDA, hoping it will prompt action at the federal level for funding of mitigation projects and potential buyouts.