Ritchie Encourages Flood Victims to Take Online Survey

State Senator Patty Ritchie is encouraging people affected by the recent, historic flooding on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River to share their stories in an online survey designed to help prevent future problems along the shorelines.

The survey—which is being conducted by the International Joint Commission's Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Adaptive Management Committee—asks victims to answer questions and share stories, as well as pictures of any damage caused by the flooding. The survey, which can be found by clicking here, takes about 10-15 minutes to complete. The deadline to participate is December 31^st.

“I encourage anyone who was affected by this devastating flooding to complete this online survey and share the stories of erosion and damage to their property,” said Senator Ritchie. “As we continue to pick up the pieces, sharing your experiences with this joint U.S.-Canada panel ensures we are working together to learn everything we can to try and prevent this historic flooding—and the damage it caused—from happening again.”

Earlier this year, Senator Ritchie sponsored the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence Seaway Flood Relief and Recovery Grant Program, which provided $45 million in funding to impacted year-round and seasonal homeowners, small businesses, farms, not-for-profits and municipalities.

Senator Ritchie also co-hosted a special Joint Hearing in Oswego County on the flooding and held flooding workshops to help local people complete applications for relief funds.

This flooding, which was the worst this region has seen in 100 years, is still affecting thousands of homes and businesses in Jefferson, Oswego and St. Lawrence Counties.