After years of neglect, and personnel interests. Officials in Wayne, have ignored what was set in motion decades ago. Giving buliders permits to build in flood zones and false promises to residents, have resulted in lives and investments to be compromised. Moving water from Bergan county to the Wayne Passic river flood plain is not what people have in the part of the county bargined for. It's unacceptable.. A 100 or 500 year flood plain has now been flooded ever year some time twice a year because of the Pomptom Dam. Since 2007 the floods have been man made. The State, and our officials must be held accounted for this.

md I agree, but that same scenario has been played out all over the region. It was always about the tax ratables these projects and construction would bring in. Now that its been done for so long, local officials have no 'practical' solution. There certainly isn't enough money for all the buy-outs. That's also negative tax ratables. That previous tunnel project was considered too expensive. Dredging isn't cheap either and it really wouldn't help much in the long run. Flood walls and levees are expensive and wouldn't help the entire region. Officials cannot come up with a solution because there are none.

Ricky -- The scenario elsewhere isn't quite the same as it is here. That's because Oakland Mayor John Szabo is also Wayne Township's Municipal Planner. He has a direct, actual conflict of interest when it comes to the floodgates and flooding issues. Oakland and Wayne have competing interests vis a vis the flood gates, etc. Oakland Mayor Szabo should want those gates built and used to protect Oakland. Wayne Planner Szabo should prefer the way things were before the gates were built. And Wayne Planner Szabo is making decisions on land use applications in Wayne every day, and MUST consider flood related issues when he does so.

I rather doubt this conflicted conundrum exists anywhere else -- well, outside of Jersey, anyway.

the only reason obama showed up is to try to gain favor anywheresince his support is deteriorating in every location in the US. i could just see him saying wow this hurricane is good for securing some votes. mr. obama, we dont trust that you have our interests before yours.

Robert....pour yourself another cup of Republican tea! June

Very classy Robert. :roll:

Flooding in the area is common (though it seems to come as a surprise to some Wayne and Oakland residents), If the president wanted to see authentic disaster, he would have gone to Vermont. They bore the brunt of the storm that made landfall.

Thank you, President Obama, for making the time to view the devastation in Paterson. No matter what you do, there will be nay Ê
sayers, and if they need Federal assistance, will they take it or just say no? Hmm I wonder? Thank God the Gov't is here for those in need! Yes, Vermont needs assistance, and they no doubt will get it, but my concern is also for my fellow New Jerseyans. I'm glad Gov. Christie has put our state's needs over that of the (Tea Party) Republican party!!

The problem has been around for at least 50 years and solutions have been presented then abandoned as soon as the water levels have dropped. Look at this NY Times article from 1992!
http://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/08/nyregion/passaic-flood-tunnel-a-turning-point.html
I am so glad to see that we turned down almost 100% funding from the Feds for the Passaic River Flood Tunnel and chose the basically do nothing approach. Sure a few hundred homes have been bought out but it is obvious to anyone that thousands more is what it would take to have an effect.
The environmentalists led the charge to scuttle the tunnel and our elected officials like Bill Pascrell abandoned it.
Now these hypocrites walk around with the President telling us that North Jersey will not be abandoned again. It is obvious that we have been abandoned in the past and if these officials are re-elected, will be abandoned in the future.

Let's say they did build that flood tunnel back then. It would not have done a darn thing to help some towns such as Hillsdale, Rochelle Park, Saddle Brook, Lodi, etc that are affected by the rapid rise of the Saddle River. The more practical solution is in the hands of each and every homeowner who has been flooded in 1999, this time around and other years. Homeowners should just write off their basements as living spaces. Keep nothing down there ever except the furnance, hot water heater and maybe the electric panel. Do not have the basement finished off with any fir strips or sheet rock. Leave it bare with the concrete blocks or foundation walls and concrete floor only. No rugs, nothing else. You say why should you have to do that when you want it as living space. Because that's the only practical solution for those who never have water on the main floor, just the basement of the home. It will happen again since there is no real practical solutions to these same areas getting flooded.

If you go back and read my last post, I said....."that's the only practical solution for those who never have water on the main floor, just the basement of the home." so that doesn't include you if you get water on the main floor. Its advice for some of us who face the contents of the basement getting flooded. I am not insensitive, I am telling it like it is. There is no real 'practical' solutions to these floods or it would have been done already. The densely populated area is one of the main reasons we have these floods. Instead of forests and vegetation to absorb water, we now have structures, parking lots, roads, etc which all have catch basins that rush the water underground through a system which eventually empties into the rivers. You might not want to be told this but it is the truth. If I'm ill informed about what I just said, I'll gladly stand corrected by anyone out there. Where does all that rain go that comes off structures, parking lots, roads, etc? Anyone? Oh sure some new homes and places by code are required to have dry wells when constructed but thats too little too late.

I didn't see anywhere that flooded this time-that hasn't flooded at some point in the past. From the 1st flood that I witnessed in 1968, and the pictures that I've seen from the floods in 1960, 1953, 1947, and as early as 1912 the rivers in our area have always been a major problem.
What made the problem "worse" was building in the flood plain. Not just here in Wayne, but in every town and city along the Passaic, Pompton, Ramapo, and Pequannock Rivers.
Federal Aid will come in a form of low interest loans, grants, and buy-outs as well as other forms of relief, but the fact that homes, malls, and many other types of commerical buildings have already been contructed in the flood plain ( Willowbrook Mall is a perfect example ) and there is no plan of removing them.
The truth is that so many structures have been built along the river, there is no practical solution to correcting the problem without a severe impact on the towns and cities that will be affected. The damage done is irreversible, and the damage that is ahead of us is unavoidable.
These rivers were formed as a result of drainage from a massive proglacial lake that formed in Northern New Jersey some 10,000 years ago. It doesn't take The Army Corp of Engineering, the President, or local government to understand that "blockage" will alter the course of the flow of water.

"there is no practical solution to correcting the problem" which is what nobody who has been affected by this wants to hear, but its the truth. Though you didn't mention it, I still feel impervious surfaces have aggravated the overall problem.

obama went for one thing; Votes! hedoesnt care about anything but a vote. desperate man.

....and if he didn't show up, you'd be saying 'he doesnt care about anything' or anyone

HobokenOwl..........What happens if when you bought your house, you were not in a flood zone. Your house never flooded, there for you never had flood insurance.

Than changes by your town zoning board put your home in a flood zone? and now you can't sell your home. What than?

You sound like a insensitive child. and someone who only cares about himself. I bet you live in apartment with some buddies and mommy and daddy pay your rent.

Hoboken: As soon as you used the phrase "expect the government to be their savior" you exposed yourself as a tea party faux-libertarian. I'll bet that if your house was flooded you would be first in line for help.

Thank God Hoboken and most of New Jersey fared better than flood plains due to hurricane Irene. A close look at our federal bank account may make us contact our senate and congressional reps to encourage them LOUDLY to cut ther wages by 25%, take a wage freeze for 2 years, and downsize their many aides and offices and stop with the chaffeurrs and the perks so that we will have money in the US treasury for emergencies:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/is-congress-ready-to-take-a-pay-cut/2011/09/01/gIQA20Gq4J_story.html?wpisrc=nl_fedinsider
Here from the Wash Post :

Let us ask "Are we better off now than in 1992?" Hell no. Desperation is everywhere, displayed in acts of violence like rapes, robberies and beatings and killings of seniors. Bread lines and homeless shelters are full and the USA heading for monumental failure due to greed of the banks that are supposed to spread the wealth to the folks who need it.
President Obama's approval ratings are in the low 40 percentile I believe. Something decisive has to be done, at the local levels and state and federal levels. May we all get proactive in the recovery of our country. Contact your legislature and encourage them to bring back a WPA and CCC programs into fruition. We are living in a madman's dream and we are still suffering after Sept 11th, 2001. WHo actually is winning the war on terror? Just my 2 cents but I am fired up.

Thank you Owl, that was my Labor day and Sept 11th memorial tribute to the greatest country in the whole world.

This statement made above that reads...."A close look at our federal bank account may make us contact our senate and congressional reps to encourage them LOUDLY to cut ther wages by 25%, take a wage freeze for 2 years, and downsize their many aides and offices and stop with the chaffeurrs and the perks so that we will have money in the US treasury for emergencies:"""" Even if they did ALL of that, the amount is so miniscule as to not even register a readable fraction of the federal budget. We have no money in our federal 'bank' because of past and present Defense spending especially being policemen of the world. NASA has taken a big chunk. Social Security costs a bundle.

NASA has asked for $35 billion for 2012. The agency won't get it, but it's still a pittance compared to the $671 billion requested for the 2012 defense budget. Defense, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid constitute about 85% of federal spending. And yet, when you ask the "Cut cut cut" crowd which of those they want to gut to the bone, the answer is "None."

Georgeg I tend to agree with you about that.
There is something to be said for raising the ceiling cap on SS and medicare payroll taxes and is the answer to funding it. This is fact! Defense funding ie the Pentagon has always been a large black hole where tax dollars vanish. Donald Rumsfeld told us on Sept 10, 2001 that trillions of dollars could not be accounted for !!!! WTF and we let that go. Bush and Cheney and Rumsfeld have ruined the country for decades, planning to hit Osama in Afganistan in April 2001 and we let them get away with it. Why?

The World is run by an oligarchy. Obama, just like most leaders is a puppet. They do what they are told to do. If you don’t see this you are not paying attention.

We were warned by Kennedy and days later he was taken out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhZk8ronces

Wake Up!

Not one bit......I just see things for what there are. We are told 1% of the truth.
It's all smoke and mirrors.

Over 75% of what you earn goes to one form of tax or another. We slaughter people all over the planet, and we are told it’s to protect out freedom as we get molested at airports, searched at ball games, and watched with cameras in malls and at every street corner. You have NO RIGHTS.

and I bet you will tell me you are free. Because that big flat box in your living room tells you so. Slavery does not just mean you are picking cotton.

Drinking the cool aid by the gallon and blind as a bat.
Americans need to grow up.

Cosmo, you will be touching many nerves with your statement, but I am in full agreement. Amazing, with the availability of so much information that we are so clueless.

Ike was a great man...too bad we didn't listen to his warning. Republicans are such a different breed now, no more Barry Goldwater oh I can't remember right now any more.

But I will tell you that I have cancer and if it wasn't for medicare I would be dead of a rare type breast cancer.

Any one who doesn't realize that keeping the social security payroll tax capped is killing the most successful program that ever had.

How many zeros in a trillion? 12! see what the deficit that your great great grandchildren will still be paying off
:

Improve

In the US, there are 12. (see below)

$1,000 is one thousand US dollars.
$1,000,000 is one million US dollars.
$1,000,000,000 is one billion US dollars.
$1,000,000,000,000 is one trillion US dollars.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_zeros_are_in_1_trillion_dollars#ixzz1XIh3OVXG

here is the national debt clock : staggering
http://www.usdebtclock.org/

I don't want to belabor the point unduly but paying 4.2% of your wages instead of 6.2 % into fica until you reach the max wages @$106.800.00 seems very odd. There should not be a cap! FACT! 1.45% of ur wages go to medicare tax remains in place no cap, Looks pretty transparent and then when u take into consideration the healthcare industry itself gouging our medicare benefits with outlandish prices < I am throwing my hands up
I look at all the bills that are submitted to medicare from my hospitals, oncologists, radiologists, pharmaceuticals cardiology doctors, homecare providers and I will tell you that Uncle Sam is being gouged like a Thanksgiving turkey with chestnut stuffing on a holiday table!. I was absolutely flabbergasted to see neulasta injections to keep up my wbc count are $13,000.00 per shot. I had 4 over 8 wks.
We need to change the profits pumps that are primed by Wall Street.

Red we can't afford to stop paying in to fica just because you've reached $106.800.00

I happen to totally disagree with you. It take guts to change the way things are done in this country. Maybe Obama is not that guy , but it can be fixed (Social Security and Medicare shortfalls)
Reign in the gouging healthcare system , payouts to recipients does not even make a dent. Its the jazzy chairs and all the bullshit that medicare is rubberstamping.
Things can be fixed quietly or there can be anarchy. This ain't your fathers country anymore. Solutions can be putting folks back to work, like u even give a crap.

Does the pentagon still purchase toilet seats at the cost of $600.00 ea? Get my drift . U really don't even have a nodding aquaintance with the human condition do u?

about that seat http://www2.dailyprogress.com/news/2011/apr/11/600-toilet-seat-nothing-ar-968018/

Dr Doom you are the man. I believed an urban legend and Jay Leno and everyone else too. But the article in a Va. newspaper is right about the waste. Thanks for finding that! General accounting office has alway found waste and duplicating. Government entails too damn much for accurate oversite.
Social Security and Medicare can be helped but not by cutting employees contributions to 4.2% for oasdi until you've reached max earnings of 106,800.00.
Over all instead of Obama cutting taxes he should puch for increased total contributions of 9% from wage earnings over the 200,000.00. jmo but this will be revisited.

""the Soc Sec is not a welfare, you are getting what you contributed"" problem is the federal govt has already spent what you contributed by counting those funds as being part of the general revenue available when posting the current deficit figures

Dr Doom what is the poverty level now for a average family of four in NJ?
That used to be middle class. We need to tax the wealthy according to their annual eanrings in order to keep the boat afloat Not give them breaks.

Ricky you are so right. Its like taking from pensions in NJ

Karen , I tell you what. Go to school at night, get your masters degree while you are working. After a few years you will start to earn more money and realize the fruits of your hard work . You will be able to afford to buy a nicer car maybe a bigger house. Nothing crazy. But wait , Oh what's this The Federal Government wants to raise my taxes. But $150k or 200k is not wealthy in northern NJ. Why is it fair to tax people a greater percantage because they have worked harder and achieved more than someone else? What you don't understand is that what you consider the "wealthy " people are the people that drive the economy. When you overtax people , they can't spend that money therefore it takes money out of the economy. It has the reverse effect of what needs to happen. You should want lower taxes and a strong economy which would create more jobs and more opportunities for struggling families to find better paying jobs and earn better pay.

OK ridiculous lower taxes don't make a strong economy it has the reverse effect...trickle down much?
maybe try looking at it from a poor family's pov. what makes u think i don't have a masters?? lol right now i am ill and on medicare ss disability. that sucks, you should try it sometime.