Casey’s infrastructure summit message: ‘We all need help’
"With the high cost of flood insurance, people can't afford to live in their homes and they can't sell them and we can't protect them," Zaykowski said.
Casey, D-
And Casey noted that many of the hardest hit communities are located in the northeastern region, near the
To ensure that local officials have the resources they need for road, bridge and dam upkeep, Casey convened what he called an "infrastructure summit" to discuss the region's most pressing issues.
The summit comes as the
Casey said he hopes
In addition to Zaykowski and Casey, others attending the summit were:
Flood insurance concerns
Brozena noted that
Blaskiewicz and Quinn argued that flood insurance costs are rising at an alarming rate. They said they are concerned that people will be moving out and the town's tax base will be significantly lowered. Quinn said property values are decreasing as well, making it difficult for owners to sell their properties at fair prices.
"I'm sad for our town," Quinn said. "If we raze the homes, our tax base is reduced. And flood insurance cost is
Blaskiewicz added that if the homes are taken and razed, then maintenance of the properties falls on the borough -- a cost that would be difficult to absorb.
"
City, county have issues
George, Delaney, Zaykowski and Wampole bombarded Casey with concerns. Delaney said the city was faced with keeping key streets open during last year's major snow storm.
"We had to get streets open to allow doctors and other emergency personnel to get to work," Delaney said. "Yet when we seek reimbursement, we are subjected to
Delaney said the city had to dip into its funds to pay for the
"The mayor then had to make that up somewhere," Delaney said.
Wampole echoed Zaykowski's comments that flood insurance premiums are going up at an alarming rate, making it difficult for property owners to afford. He said the properties can't be sold and there is little flood protection.
Casey said he will review all the information he received at the summit and continue his push for a major infrastructure bill.
Morgan said she wants to see more funding for training for emergency personnel. She said only
"Something substantial could have an impact," Casey said. "We have tom look at that benefit/cost ratio and find another way. And we have to get to work on getting the cost of flood insurance down."
Brozena said since the 2011 flooding, many of the unprotected areas have seen a lot of properties purchased by
McGinley said federal regulations are very difficult to meet.
"We all need help," McGinley said. "We need the federal and state governments to look at our situation and provide the funding we need."
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