CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — A community meeting is being held tonight so people can ask questions and voice their concerns about flooding that happened in the town last week.
It's at 6:30 p.m. at the South Line Fire Hall on French Road.
Members of the town engineering and highway departments will be there to answer questions.
One of the biggest questions neighbors have is why the town sewer system didn't drain excess water that ended up getting into their homes and basements and causing thousands of dollars worth of damage.
More than an inch of rain fell in just a few hours on the weekend of August 18th. The town's highway superintendent said the short answer is that the sewer and sanitation lines backed up, and the water had nowhere to go.
"It was a lot of water that came down quick, and the ground is hard so it's not absorbed in the grass because it is so hard. It has been a dry summer," said highway superintendent Mark Wegner.
Towers Boulevard and West Toulon Drive were some of the hardest hit areas. For some living there, insurance won't cover their losses or just a portion.
Town Supervisor Diane Benczkowski said these same streets flooded in 2003, but other streets are seeing flooding more frequently too. She thought a meeting would be a good way to begin to address the problem.
"It just seemed better to have everyone in one place instead of taking a million phone calls. The flooding was to the point where it was extreme enough that they would like to talk to town officials see if we can get a plan in place and also find out how we can help them more for any future rain events," said Benczkowski.