Whitestone Grandpa Tries To Save Home, Loses Life

As the family of Whitestones Edward Kierenia prepared to say their final good-byes, they looked back on a life spent on hard work and dedication to his family.
"There is only one word to describe my husband of 49 years, and that is great," said Mary Kierenia. "He was the kind of man who would protect his home."
Edward, an engineer with the firm that designed the U.S.S. Intrepid, died last Saturday at the age of 77, the victim of a massive coronary. But despite his pre-existing heart condition, the family feels that he would still be alive had he not been trying to unclog a drain and stop rising flood waters from further damaging his home at the time of his coronary.
"My dad was stressed out," said his distraught daughter, Diane. "He had worked hard to accumulate his belongings. All he wanted to do was to stop everything he owned from being destroyed by the flooding. My dad should be here right now, enjoying his retirement years with his grandkids. He should not have been worrying about clogged drains and flooding."
At the time of the familys interview with The Queens Courier, Diane had just returned from collecting her fathers personal effects from Flushing Hospital. Among these were the clothes he had been wearing, all of which were still damp and reeked of sewage.
"He had mud and sewage on his face when we found him," said Mary. "I just yelled and screamed and called for 911."
The Whitestone neighborhood, which sits on slightly sloping ground, is prone to flooding, but according to the Kierenias and their neighbors, water levels have never risen as high as this year.
"Within the span of a short block there were four dumpsters, privately paid for, to throw out everything that had been damaged," said Diane.
After the massive storm and ensuing floods of August 11, many residents had reached out to the DEP; Kierenia had even called the office of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, according to family members. City officials allegedly visited the water-plagued neighborhood, but many residents felt that nothing would be accomplished. They were given claim forms at that time from the office of the Comptroller for lost or damaged property.
"This has been a long-term problem," said Diane. "And everyone was left to fend for themselves. They should have paid more attention."
A funeral was held for Kierenia on Wednesday.
The DEP intends to send a task force to investigate the area and surrounding neighborhoods on September 16.
"The sewer at that location actually leads to a seven foot-by seven foot trunk sewer," said Charles Sturcken, a spokesperson for the DEP. "The death of Mr. Kierenia was an unfortunate occurrence."
"I miss my dad so much Im bitter that he was focused on this problem rather than on his health," said Diane. "Its sad that there had to be a fatality before the problem would be dealt with."
E-mail this reporter at rbellastella@aol.com