MERI

NJMC meets with Senator Paul Sarlo to discuss Flooding Issues


State Sen. Paul Sarlo, D-Wood-Ridge, met for the first time Monday afternoon with a group of roughly 15 representatives from the Meadowlands Commission, the state Department of Environmental Protection, the mayors of Moonachie and Little Ferry, and local engineers to discuss the Oct. 29 storm and lay out preventative measures. “We talked about some of the incremental steps we can take, measures to protect us from various different storms, but I am not sure whatever we will be able to do would protect us from a surge of that magnitude,” Sarlo said — 9.5 feet of water easily topped the 4- and 5-foot-high berms. “The government cannot keep putting Band-aids on infrastructure. I’m not sure we can be prepared for every storm, but we need to implement measures for 75 or 85 percent of storms.” “There are significant dollars in the federal package that would alleviate some of this flooding,” Sarlo said. “I am going to fight on behalf of the people of the Meadowlands.”


Sarlo