Paterson recovers from flooding as mayor addresses aging sewer system
Twenty people needed rescue from floodwaters following intense rainfall. Mayor Andre Sayegh says the aging drainage and sewer system can't keep up with this type of flash flooding.
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Twenty people in Paterson were rescued from heavy rain and flooding, according to city officials,
The city also says that areas of the city need an overhaul of the aging drainage and sewer system to prevent continual flooding.
On Wednesday, 20th Avenue is one of those streets that is still drying out. The majority of the drains are clear. However, some remain clogged, much to the frustration of homeowners. This street was one of those that flooded along with 21st Avenue, which is being repaired after a portion buckled.
Mayor Andre Sayegh is using the flooding as a call to find resources to replace the current sewer system.
“I will point out that River Street wasn’t an issue because we’re actually doing repairs on the sewer, and that to me is the pain point. We really need to focus on infrastructure improvement. I believe climate change is legitimate. We just have to respond," said Sayegh.
There were other areas of northern New Jersey dealing with storm cleanup. One of those hit hard was Hawthorne, which had a road destroyed by floodwater and several people were rescued from high water by firefighters.
