Rockland readies new flood barriers for Hermine
Heavy rain and high winds are anticipated in Rockland and the region during the Labor Day weekend.
POMONA - Rockland County has a new tool to combat flooding as tropical storm Hermine threatens to wash out the Labor Day weekend.
County officials unveiled a new type of flood barrier Friday afternoon at the Rockland Fire Training Center. Standing in front of the orange, water-filled barriers, Rockland County Executive Ed Day said the equipment can be used as a “rapid response" to rising waters that will "save people’s homes.”
Hermine: Tropical Storm Watch issued for Southern NY
STORM GUIDE: What you need to know
USA TODAY: Hermine weakens from hurricane to tropical storm
The county purchased about 21 barriers — which stretch approximately 630 feet in total — for roughly $150,000, Day said. The barriers are like large water bags or sleeves, which are reusable and can be filled within minutes — much faster than setting up a barrier of sandbags.
Nicholas Longo Jr., program coordinator at the fire training center, and other employees demonstrated how quickly the sleeves can be filled by using a fire hose to pump in water from a nearby fire hydrant. The sleeves expanded and filled in moments.
“If we had to make sandbags in a similar manner, it would probably take us hours to make the same structure,” said Chris Jensen, program coordinator for the Rockland County Office of Emergency Services.
“Sandbags are not up to the task when you’re facing certain rivers rising,” Day said.
The barriers run about 30 feet in length, and the county has 14 that are 19 inches in diameter and another seven that are 42 inches in diameter. The sleeves can be fitted into one another to create a longer barrier, and two can be stacked atop one another.
7-DAY FORECAST: lohud.com/weather
INTERACTIVE: Track current tropical storms & hurricanes
Although the barriers are new to the county, they have been used for years elsewhere in the country, including during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
The barriers do not rely solely on a fire hydrant to be filled, Longo said. The sleeves can be set up using any water pump, and could use the very flood waters that the barriers are attempting to divert.
As tropical storm Hermine continues to pose potential risks to the Lower Hudson Valley in the coming days, Day said the barriers can be speedily deployed to flood-prone areas throughout the county, including Squires Gate in Suffern and Grassy Point in Stony Point.
The barriers will be stored at the fire training center along with a cache of other equipment — including generators and chainsaws — ready for this weekend’s expected storm.
Longo said employees at the Office of Emergency Management would initially deploy the barriers, but police and fire departments, as well as other municipal workers throughout the county, could request the barriers as they become trained in using them.
Jensen said his office is tracking the storm and organizing potential shelters in the event Hermine causes significant damage to the area.
Hermine made landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast early Friday and brought with it winds reaching 80 mph. The Lower Hudson Valley anticipates heavy rain and high winds during the Labor Day weekend.
In Westchester and Rockland counties, wind speeds could reach 15 to 20 mph, accompanied by gusts of 25 to 30 mph both Sunday and Monday. On Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo activated the New York State Emergency Operations Center, which will begin Sunday.