By Eileen Buckley
Buffalo, NY – More than 2,000 South Buffalo and Kaisertown property owners are no longer required to pay flood insurance. Thanks to City, county and federal efforts a local law was changed. realigning the flood zone near Cazenovia Creek.
U.S. Senator Charles Schumer appeared along the Creek with Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, U.S. Congressman Higgins and other local leaders today for a ceremonial signing of the law. Schumer says through the years the flood potential was reduced.
"By things like the West Seneca ice retention structure that we all know about. It reduces the prospect of an ice jam of flooding the lower basin in Cazenovia Creek. It reduces the flow of large ice that enters the Buffalo River and its intersection with the Creek. So you can see the see of Buffalo, over the years, and its local and state legislators have done a good job, but the federal government hadn't caught up with them," said Schumer.
The new law changes a 100-year boundary. But it took years to convince the federal government to allow the changes. A FEMA rep finally visited the area seeing first hand that there has been no flooding since 1959.