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Pelham, NY Flood Cleanup for Prewar Houses and Apartments
About two in three Pelham homes were built in 1939 or earlier, and Ida showed how quickly their basements can fill. We work in both villages, Pelham and Pelham Manor, from our office in Harrison.
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Pelham, NY
Who does flood cleanup in Pelham and Pelham Manor?
Strongwater Restoration, based at 111 Calvert Street in Harrison, about 7.6 road miles from Pelham Town Hall. We pump out and dry flooded basements and lower floors, take out wet plaster, flooring and insulation, and rebuild, handling the lead paint and asbestos that houses built before 1940 can hide.
Few towns near us have older housing. The Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 survey places about 65% of Pelham’s 4,436 homes in the 1939-or-earlier group and about 93% before 1980, and in Pelham Manor the prewar share reaches about 72%. Houses that age often carry old paint and building materials, so we plan for asbestos and lead paint work before any walls come down.
Housing: U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates. Distance is approximate.
About Pelham
Why did Ida flood so many Pelham homes?
The rain came in a burst. Pelham Manor’s mayor said Ida dropped over three inches in an hour, and the Village of Pelham named Glenwood Lake, which it manages with New Rochelle, as a major contributor. Fourteen houses had more than 12 feet of water inside, and the village fire departments pumped out hundreds of homes and businesses.
FEMA’s numbers show the reach. After Ida, ZIP 10803 homeowners filed 292 valid registrations, FEMA approved 214 of them for about $1.94 million, and its inspectors put the damage at about $2.25 million; 20 cars were missing or destroyed. The National Weather Service recorded the Hutchinson River Parkway closed both ways at Pelham that night, ten days after Henri had flooded its northbound lanes near the town.
Pelham Manor’s drainage is old. An engineering study reported in 2023 found the village’s 100-year-old stormwater system needs at least $7.9 million of work to reduce flooding in three areas, and New York State’s DEC was to begin a Resilient NY flood study of the Hutchinson River watershed. The river itself runs along Pelham’s western side, separating it from Mount Vernon, with the Hutchinson River Parkway beside it for most of its length.
The town is two villages sharing ZIP 10803. The Village of Pelham formed in 1975, when North Pelham and Pelham merged, and holds the Metro-North station and the Pelham Picture House. Pelham Manor, incorporated in 1891, includes Chestnut Grove, Manor Circle, the Four Corners at Boston Post Road and Pelhamdale Avenue, and Post Road Plaza on the Bronx border.
Permits & rebuilding
Who issues building permits in Pelham?
Each village issues its own; the town does not. Village of Pelham Code § 34-4 covers building, altering, improving, moving or demolishing any structure, and repairs need a permit only if they involve load-bearing walls, egress, building systems or fire protection. Pelham Manor requires permits for replacing windows, siding, interior walls, plumbing fixtures, cabinets or countertops.
Permits in Pelham and Pelham Manor
- Village of Pelham: the Building Department is on the 3rd floor of 200 Fifth Avenue, 914-738-2258, open weekdays 9:00 to 4:30 outside summer.
- Pelham Manor: building permits come from Village Hall, 4 Penfield Place, 914-738-8820. Patching cracked plaster or broken wallboard, or fixing leaking plumbing, needs no permit there.
- Before demolition in Pelham Manor, read the asbestos and lead notice that comes with the permit forms; about 72% of the village’s homes predate 1940.
- Any electrical work in the Village of Pelham needs an electrical job permit, and wiring and plumbing must be done under Westchester County electrician and plumber licenses.
- In a special flood hazard area, both villages require a floodplain development permit, and repairs costing 50% or more of pre-damage market value mean substantial damage (Village of Pelham Code Ch. 45).
Services in Pelham
What can we take on for a Pelham house or building?
Flooded basements and storm damage, sewage backups, mold, fire and smoke damage, and the rebuild afterward. With about 93% of Pelham homes built before 1980, asbestos and lead paint work happens inside the same job. About 16% of homes sit in buildings of 20 or more units, and we work with their managers and boards.
- Water Damage Restoration
- Fire Damage Restoration
- Smoke Damage Restoration
- Storm & Flood Damage Restoration
- Mold Remediation
- Sewage Cleanup
- Asbestos Abatement
- Lead Paint Removal
- Reconstruction After Damage
- Commercial Water Damage Restoration
- Commercial Fire Damage Restoration
- Restoration for Property Managers
- Estimating, Appraisal & Expert Witness
- Remodeling
FAQ
Pelham Questions
What is behind the flooding near Wolfs Lane in Pelham Manor?
Part of it is under Glover Field. As reported in August 2023, a sanitary sewer main passes through a storm manhole beneath the field and backs rainwater into the Wolfs Lane area. If water reaches your basement there, have it pumped out and dried before mold can take hold; call (718) 357-9191.
Which utilities serve Pelham and Pelham Manor?
Veolia Water New York serves both villages through the same system that serves New Rochelle. Sewer service splits by village: the Village of Pelham sits in Westchester County’s Hutchinson sewer district, with its DPW maintaining local sanitary and storm sewers, and Pelham Manor belongs to the county’s New Rochelle sewer district.
How old are Pelham's flood maps, and how many flood claims has it had?
FEMA’s current maps for both villages date to September 28, 2007, and neither village has a Community Rating System class. Since 1978, flood insurance claims total 68 in the Village of Pelham, about $1.07 million, and 72 in Pelham Manor, about $1.09 million. Ida alone accounted for 20 claims in each village.
How far do your crews travel to reach Pelham?
About 7.6 road miles. Our office at 111 Calvert Street in Harrison sits that far from Pelham Town Hall at 34 Fifth Avenue and about 8.4 road miles from Pelham Manor Village Hall on Penfield Place. The New England Thruway runs through Pelham Manor, and the Pelham Metro-North station sits in the Village of Pelham.
Nearby
Which towns near Pelham do we serve?
Mount Vernon, across the Hutchinson River, and New Rochelle, which shares Glenwood Lake with the Village of Pelham and the Veolia water system with both villages. From our Harrison office we also work in Larchmont, Bronxville and the rest of Westchester County.
Talk to Strongwater
Water in a Pelham basement?
Call (718) 357-9191. We’re in Harrison, about 7.6 road miles from Pelham Town Hall.