A Flash of Flooding

By Katie McFadden

It wasn’t predicted to be a major storm, but it sure left an impact. Just after the 13th anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, much of Rockaway, and New York City, were flooded on Thursday, October 30.

The day before, some alerts that have become more common, were sent out through Notify NYC, warning of coastal flooding for Thursday afternoon, saying “minor flooding of shore roads and properties is possible.” The alert warned people to move cars to higher ground and avoid driving through floodwaters. On Thursday afternoon, that came to fruition as a massive downpour coincided with high tide, making for a dangerous condition as floodwaters came up through catch basins, turning roads into rivers. Rockaway saw flooding on major throughways including Rockaway Beach Boulevard, Beach Channel Drive and Newport Avenue, in various spots of the peninsula. Some Rockaway Beach businesses were met with minor flooding, leading to a cleanup.

In an even more serious matter, two men died in Brooklyn due to flooding in basement properties on Thursday.

The waters receded by early evening as the tide went down, and on Friday, the city sent out another alert about how people can report flood damage to their homes and businesses. For more information, see: www.Reportdamage.nyc.gov

 Photos by Karen Valenti, Denise Ortega and John Cori.