flooding

After Lake Ontario reached new heights in 2017, the state and many homeowners invested substantial amounts of money rebuilding the break walls and other barriers along their shorelines - only to see much of it washed away again in 2019.

"When you see a house go down a river, when you see a house hanging over an embankment...when is it enough for FEMA to say this county, this region, this state, needs our assistance?”

Lake Ontario is still high - about 246 feet high. The Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board says they’re working to reduce levels as much as possible by spring.

Critics say Plan 2014 is to blame for the unprecedented water levels while others say it's a scapegoat for the excessive rainfall in recent years, which could be related to climate change.

Top state officials say that the IJC failed to act in response to flooding in 2017 and 2019, causing New York to incur substantial and potentially avoidable damages.

63 projects along the Lake Ontario shoreline will receive $133 million in state funding. Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the announcement Wednesday during a stop at the Port of Rochester.

"This is an international entity and it is going to be a difficult case for us to make. But it is a last resort, we have tried everything else. It is a cry for help from the state of New York."

The state is putting aside $300 million to fund resiliency projects in these communities, which have seen major flooding in recent years.

"...we’ve had catastrophic flooding on the shore of Lake Ontario two out of three years," said Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus)

"...this evaluation is not going to happen fast enough to do anything for this year..."