New York State Senator Pamela Helming (R-Canandaigua) is calling on Governor Cuomo to help with the unprecedented flooding of Lake Ontario.
Helming is not only hoping the governor will issue a state of emergency for the affected areas so towns and villages can become eligible for FEMA assistance, but is also asking federal officials to call on the IJC to help lower the water levels.
She says regardless of how the flooding occurred, the lack of assistance doesn’t send a good message.
"We need to do something to provide relief. What’s the message that we're sending to all these property owners and business owners? And what’s the messages were sending about the protection of our lake? Sorry, we’re just going to stand by and do nothing?"
The senator said that most in the area agree that the flooding won’t stop anytime soon.
"The IJC, the DEC, the locals who have lived in this area all their lives; everyone agrees that the high water peaks sometime in June. Everyone agrees we're going to see another 6-10 inches. So we need to do something to provide relief."
As lake levels continue to rise, Helming says her main concern is the impact on sewage systems, particularly in Sodus.
"Once those systems are compromised, there’s a potential for sewage to back up in homes or sewage to flow into the lake."
Helming says preventative costs would be much less than the clean up if the sewage systems are affected.