Speaker Heastie Continues Annual Statewide Tour in East Yonkers

Speaker Carl Heastie continued his statewide tour today, joining Assemblymember Nader Sayegh in the Armour Villa neighborhood to see the impacts suburban construction and climate change are having on the severe flooding in the community.

“For Armour Villa residents, climate change is not a distant problem for future generations, it’s impacting their lives today,” said Speaker Heastie. “I want to thank Assemblymember Sayegh and the Armour Villa community for showing me the impact these extreme weather events are having on their homes and drainage systems. The Assembly Majority is committed to working with our neighborhoods to reduce the severe impacts of climate change and helping build the infrastructure needed to prevent future damage.”

“I’m honored to have Speaker Heastie join us in East Yonkers today to see the devastating impact climate change and suburban construction are having on our homes and community spaces,” said Assemblymember Sayegh. “It has been a summer of severe weather, and we can no longer wait to protect our community from its impact. By working with partners across all areas of government, I’m committed to ensuring our neighborhoods are prepared for the next storm as we continue to fight against the impact of our everchanging climate.”

Speaker Heastie and Assemblymember Sayegh toured the Armour Villa neighborhood in East Yonkers to see the impact flash flooding is having on the community, caused by an increase in construction and climate change, overwhelming their current drainage system. They also discussed the new improvement proposal from the City of Yonkers’s Engineering Department to create concrete curbing, stormwater basins and other structures to divert stormwater appropriately in the Armour Villa neighborhood.

Westchester County Deputy Executive Ken Jenkins, Assemblymember Gary Pretlow, State Senator Shelley Mayer, Councilman Mike Breen, County Legislator James Nolan, Former County Legislator Ruth Walter and Armour Villa Neighborhood Association President Steve Wagner were also in attendance.