BOUND BROOK FLOOD OF 9/99
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Bound Brook is a town that sits along side the Raritan River. After having received 15 inches of rain in a short period of time, the Rartian River came up over its banks and flooded a large portion of the town. Once the water spilled over, the flooding was immediate trapping many people in their homes. Also, due to an electrical problem, many buildings in the downtown business district caught fire. Bound Brook has been flooded a few times in the past, but never in its history has the flooding been so great. The last great flood was in 1973, but was only a fraction of this most recent catastrophe. Soon after the town started flooding, rescue workers began their long task of effecting rescues and putting out fires. Emergency personnel from throughout the state assisted in this task including the national guard, state police, sheriff, garden state water rescue, coast guard, and local police and rescue from dozens of towns. Also, the New York City police Department, fire department, and port authority police played an important role.
A few have wondered why people would build a town in a flood zone and why the government should help with reconstruction money. Bound Brook is not a new town consisting of expensive new homes with wonderful water views. It is a town that was build in the 1600's before there was even a United States. The settlers had no choice but to build near a river to have access to water and transportation in that pre-industrial age. Bound Brook was home to George Washington and its citizens helped fight for this countries freedom in the revolutionary war. Bound Brook played a pivotal role in the formation of this country and deserves all the help the federal government can give. Bound Brook deserves this help, but most likely will not get it. While the federal government gives away billions of dollars to third world countries in foreign aid, our own citizens in a historic town that fought for the very survival of the United States are being left out in the cold.
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