New York Senators Schumer and Gillibrand have announced that more than $1.2 million will be headed to Owego to deal with flood mitigation. Owego Mayor Kevin Millar said the money will go toward helping 27 homeowners get their houses raised off of the ground and out of the way of future floods. The houses that will be raised are in the village’s flood zone and were damaged by rising water in 2006 and 2011. Millar says this is just the first step in what Owego needs to do to deal with their flooding problems. These funds are just a portion of the hazard mitigation money Owego has applied for. Millar said the village is going to need a lot more money to get what they need done. As for when homeowners can expect to see their houses off of the ground and out of harm’s way, Millar says a timeline for construction has not been yet been established.
