JK Girl Scouts To Install Flood Meters Around Mahwah

For the nine students who are members of the Girl Scout Troop 1504, the scouting mission of making the world a better place is a challenge they are taking seriously. The troop is working with Mahwah’s mayor, township engineer, police department, fire department and roads department to make the community safer.

Since the troop was so struck by what some of their friends and neighbors went through during Hurricane Irene, the girls decided they wanted to help protect Mahwah from flooding, one of their troop leaders, Annette Powers, said. “We had a couple of different project ideas, and the girls were really passionate about doing this one,” she said.

What exactly they are doing is a huge undertaking – the girls are going to identify which streets in town have the most flooding issues and potential to causes flooding injuries, and will place flood meters on those street signs. The meters will let people know how high floodwaters have risen on the street during a flood event.

“People don’t realize how dangerous the water can be,” scout Annie Brooks explained. “We learned that the number one reason people die during a flood is because they get trapped in their cars when they drive through water that is too high and drown.”

Jordan Devine added, “these signs will help with that. If the water level is six inches high, you can’t drive through it.”

According to Powers, several surrounding towns, like Upper Saddle River, have some of the flood gauges already installed on their road signs. “But there is a lot of research involved, which we’ve already started doing,” she said. “There are several different types of signs available, and we need to weigh the pros and cons of those, and we are working with the township to determine which roads would be the most appropriate.”

When the time comes to actually install the meters, Powers says the girls will fundraise to help pay the associated costs. “They want to see this project all the way through.”

For the troop members,  seeing the effects of Hurricane Irene was an experience they are not quick to forget. “A lot of people we know got really badly flooded last year,” Elizabeth Urbaniak said. “They weren’t expecting it to be so bad, so they weren’t prepared. We want to help people be more prepared.”

The girls, who recently met with the mayor, a Mahwah Police Officer and the Fire Department, said their project is as much about flooding awareness as it is about practical safety measures. They said they will be working on ways to spread all of the knowledge they are learning about flooding to the rest of their neighbors in Mahwah.

The members of Troop 1504 are Lauren Muscarelle, Abbie Brooks, Olivia Chung, Sydeny Powers, Elizabeth Urbaniak, Jordan Devine, Carissa Iannucci, Sophia Scian and Jane Kellner. Co-leaders are Annette Powers and Isabella Schroeder.