Brockport CEO responds to disaster areas

When disaster strikes, municipalities across New York have access to the Code Enforcement Disaster Assistance Response (CEDAR) team. Scott Zarnstorff, the Village of Brockport's Code Enforcement Officer, is one of those CEDAR team members. The recently returned from flood ravaged areas in Orange County.

"CEDAR was created to address code issues in areas that have significant damage from floods or other disasters," Zarnstorff said. "One of the first places we were called to was Arcade that had experienced severe flooding."

CEDAR is designed to provide a temporary increase in the number of code enforcement officials available to communities after a disaster occurs. CEDAR is made up of trained Code Enforcement Officials who assist communities that have suffered a manmade or natural disaster. Its purpose is to expedite the inspection of buildings in the community and to provide information from these inspections that can be used for a variety of purposes, including financial assistance from State or Federal disaster agencies.

Zarnstorff said there are about 54 code enforcement officers that respond to areas in need of assistance.

"When we went to Orange County we performed 281 inspections," he said. "There were 110 homes with significant damage and nine that were completely destroyed."

The CEDAR program, Zarnstorff said, is unique in that it is a group of municipalities helping out other municipalities and New York state is the only one that has such a program. CEDAR has been in existence for about five years and has responded to 10 different disaster areas.

To be a member of CEDAR, a code enforcement officer must undergo a six hour training course and the municipality where they work must pass a resolution supporting the reciprocal agreement.

"I've been to a few sites and it's a beneficial program," Zarnstorff said.