Opinion
By Darlene Messina

The headline on a front-page article on Dec. 22 reads: "New strategy on flooding: Don't rebuild, just get out." Three days later, an article tucked away in the middle of the paper is headlined, "Ruling clears way for Manayunk units: Luxury apartments on flood-prone Venice Island got the green light from Commonwealth Court." And then we have this headline on Jan. 12: "Danger an issue, U.S. set to remap flood-prone areas: New maps could save $48 billion in property damage, FEMA estimates."

Something is amiss here. How did those Manayunk townhouses proposed for construction in the floodway of the Schuylkill get the green light from Commonwealth Court? How did City Councilman Michael Nutter succeed in having the property rezoned from industrial to residential when he knew the severity of flooding on Venice Island? Why, in the face of our prudent floodway ordinance to protect the safety of its citizens, did the City Zoning Board of Adjustment grant a variance for - and the City Planning Commission endorse construction in - a floodway? How could the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court overlook the most obvious of facts in overturning the Common Pleas Court and upholding the Zoning Board's action?

Martin Frengs, acting director of the Philadelphia division of the Federal Emergency Management Administration, has said that floods are in many ways a more likely threat than terrorist strikes. They are a real risk. They are documented, and happening over and over again. So why do successful developers Dennis Malomian and Carl Dranoff have such a burning determination to build two luxury townhouse projects on Venice Island, totaling approximately 500 units that would hold 1,000 people and 500 cars? Is it just because the property is in fashionable Manayunk, where congestion has reached its saturation point?

Venice Island is a three-mile-long, 300-acre sliver that sits between the Manayunk Canal and the Schuylkill and is connected to the mainland by two one-lane bridges, a half-mile apart. The entire island is in a floodplain, and all but 15 percent of it is in the floodway - an area the federal government has classified as the most dangerous location where flood water will rise and travel at peak speeds during storms and hurricanes.

The island has suffered 10 floods in the last 130 years - with three big ones in the last 21 years. Weather scientists around the world concur on predictions of more frequent flooding, and as experienced locally, urban areas are often hit the hardest due to stormwater runoff. Clearly the flooding that has occurred in the Manayunk area exceeds its designation as a place that would flood only once every 100 years.

The most recent deluge came during Hurricane Floyd on Sept. 16, 1999. By 3 p.m. that day, the water from the canal had rushed over its banks and had inundated Venice Island. The river and canal had become one swirling, terrifying mass. By 4 p.m., Main Street in Manayunk was flooded and gridlocked and even the two Venice Island bridges were under water. Buses stalled and cars floated down Main Street as police put up barricades and assisted in canoe rescues.

Anyone who remembers Floyd's devastation in Manayunk realizes the absurdity of the developers' argument that their projects would actually reduce flood levels by building the townhouses on a foundation of 14-foot pillars, spaced about 30 feet apart. In fact, these pillars would be a magnet for floating debris, which could create a makeshift dam and bring even higher floodwaters at the site. Against these elements, the proposed escape footbridge and evacuation plans for these projects are only academic exercises to appease the approving authorities.

Nearly 3½ years have passed since Floyd. Many more regional floods have resulted in personal disasters and property damage. And the Federal Emergency Management Administration has changed its strategy. Instead of using our tax dollars to rebuild and rebuild again, FEMA is buying out floodway properties and discouraging everyone from living there.

In light of this enlightened policy change, it is illogical, irrational and irresponsible for these two projects to proceed on Venice Island. That is why the Friends of the Manayunk Canal and other groups will continue to pursue a legal appeal in the case. The facts are worth defending. People die if you let them live in the floodway. Properties are severely damaged if you build in the floodway. It's time to apply the intention of our own Philadelphia floodway ordinance (10-1101A), which states as its mission, "to best protect lives and property from harm."