Seven residents of the Town of Goshen and 14 residents of the Town of Chester have filed verified complaints in State Supreme Court alleging their properties were flooded during Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in August of last year because of their inaction.
The Goshen residents, who all live in the New Hampton area, have filed against the town, Orange County and the State Department of Environmental Conservation claiming they did not clear tree growth and other obstructions from the Wallkill River, which resulted in the flooding of their homes.
The Chester residents, who all live in the area of Seely Brook Creek, say the town had responsibility for maintenance and upkeep of the waterway and that it failed to take appropriate action.
“While we cannot tame nature, we should take prudent steps to maintain our infrastructure and waterways, minimizing, to the extent possible, such damage,” said the plaintiffs’ attorney Michael Sussman. “In these cases, the opposite happened: our governments failed our people and now, those affected seek redress from their governments.”
