Severe Storms Bring More Local Floods
Not more than a month after being hit by flooding following a series of thunderstorms that rolled through the area, areas of Glendale and Middle Village were once again saturated with sewer backups during heavy downpours last Saturday morning, Sept. 8.
The rain event, more noted for spawning tornadoes in Breezy Point and Canarsie, dumped a heavy amount of rain over a short span of time, causing the same sewer backups and street flooding in prone areas experienced during a day of heavy thunderstorms on Aug. 15.
Several feet of water again collected at the Cooper Avenue underpass on the Glendale/Middle Village border, causing its shutdown until the flood receded. One driver who attempted to pass through the giant pool of water wound up having to exit from his vehicle after it became trapped.
Residents in a flood-prone area of Penelope Avenue and 72nd Street in Middle Village again faced flooding of their driveways, garages and basements after a sewer backup during the heavy rainfall. An online video filmed by homeowner Maria Cascione captured water gushing out of a manhole; its cover had been lifted by the sheer force of the backflow.
This time around, according to her husband, Vito Cascione, the flooding left “about four inches of water” in their basement and garage. But he pointed out that this was the fourth time this year his home flooded during a heavy rainstorm; the three previous floods occurred in June, July and August.
“I have everything on cement blocks in the basement, but getting the water mopped up is a burden as well,” Vito Cascione said in an email to the Times Newsweekly. “The damage to the property is starting to take its toll since the brick structure around the house, driveway, garage and walkway is breaking apart.”
“Eventually, I’m going to have to replace that and have a mason come in and redo all the cement that bonds the bricks together,” he added.
Long after the storm left the area, neighbors were left to clean up the mess left behind, and there were calls once again for the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to investigate the causes of the flooding and develop short- and long-term solutions.
City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley had requested the inquiry by the agency following the Aug. 15 thunderstorm that left the Cooper Av- enue underpass filled with several feet of water. She had suggested that the ongoing reconstruction of the underpass’ retaining walls, combined with the apparent failure of a sewer pumping station nearby, may have been the cause of the flood.
A Crowley spokesperson told the Times Newsweekly on Monday that the lawmaker visited the Cooper Avenue underpass following last Saturday’s storm and found not only “a couple of feet of standing water,” but also “debris clogging the catch basins” along the way.
“Less than three weeks ago, I called on the DEP to fully investigate the cause of the severe floods in Glendale and Middle Village, and now there’s further proof that there are serious problems at the Cooper Avenue underpass,” Crowley said in a statement. “Residents and homeowners should not have to worry about a flood whenever it rains, and I will not rest until the DEP acknowledges this problem and dedicates the resources to fix it.”
Crowley spoke at length about flooding problems in Glendale at last Thursday’s (Sept. 6) meeting of the Glendale Property Owners Association, two days prior to the most recent storm. Click here for that story.
