The sudden storm early Monday morning left homes on Fourth, Sixth and Seventh avenues with more than a foot of water in their garages and basements, while the Pelham Fire Department responded to 20 calls, including 18 for flooded basements and one for a rescue operation with other agencies to help drivers trapped by water on the Hutchinson River Parkway, according to a statement Thursday from Pelham Mayor Chance Mullen.

In some areas, Pelham residents experienced sewage backup caused by infiltration of the village’s sanitary sewers due to “deteriorated pipes or illegal connections” by homes pumping stormwater into sewage drains, Mullen said. “Our department of public works crews worked through the night pumping water from homes and businesses, our street sweeper was out all day and again on Tuesday cleaning up sludge and debris, and Oakridge made additional stops all week to remove bulk waste from residents whose belongings had been ruined.”

Yesterday and today, the village waived on-street parking rules in areas north of Lincoln Avenue for resident who usually park vehicles in below-grade garages. Mullen said car owners should contact the Pelham Police Department for parking accommodations to protect personal property.

“There will be more to share in the coming weeks about the village’s work to upgrade our storm and sanitary sewer systems,” Mullen said. “The village is currently conducting a sanitary sewer evaluation study, launched last year, that will give us the information needed to tackle the issue related to sewage backups.”

The village also needs to take steps to deal with the long-standing problem of flooding in the areas nearest Glenwood Lake, which straddles the border with New Rochelle. “This is undoubtedly the most challenging area to address and has gone unresolved for decades,” Mullen said. “The drains were cleaned just a few weeks ago, and New Rochelle has been lowering the level of the lake in advance of expected rainfall, but we’re exploring other ways to expand drain capacity and mitigate the impact on residents.”

Meanwhile, the DPW has prepared pumps that can be dispatched when needed.