NEW YORK, NY April 29, 2008 —REPORTER: As April showers continue, so does the chance of flooding here in the city.
This has led to creation of the city's Flood Mitigation Task Force. It will monitor flood-prone locations and increase maintenance of the city's 140,000 catch basins - the sidewalk sewer grates that collect rain water and debris. But, Mayor Bloomberg says they can't do it alone.
So, he wants New Yorkers to keep an eye on their neighborhood catch basins. That because if they clog, rain water backs up and often leads to flooding.
BLOOMBERG: If you make that effort to clear away the leaves or debris that block the catch basin grate, you'll be doing a huge service to the whole neighborhood. Now, the city tries to do that, but we can't be at every catch basin all the time.
REPORTER: Last year, several Queens neighborhoods experienced severe flooding which some elected officials blamed on poor ground drainage.
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