NYSUT Secretary-Treasurer Lee Cutler recently surveyed the damage caused by severe flooding that hit the Buffalo suburb of West Seneca.
Some 70 homes sustained heavy damage when the Buffalo Creek began flooding the evening of Jan. 11 after water from the creed backed up through storm sewers, the Buffalo News reported. At its peak, the flood filled the streets with as much as five feet of water.
Though spanning a significantly smaller area, Cutler said the damage he witnessed was as extensive as the damage suffered by homeowners affected by larger storms such as Irene and Sandy. Cutler toured the damage with West Seneca Teachers Association President Joe Cantafio.
State officials have been in West Seneca helping affected homeowners and businesses with insurance-related issues. NYSUT Vice President Kathleen Donahue, who oversees the union’s Disaster Relief Fund with Cutler, said members who sustained damage can apply for help through the fund.