Fifty Years of Flooding

Sitting in the family-owned Save-On Hardware store at the intersection of Prime Avenue, Madison Street and New York Avenue, Gary and Barbara Hall have seen the road flood more times than they can remember. Today, following almost 24 hours of continuous rain, was no exception.

Suffolk County police closed off New York Avenue from just north of the store to Halesite. Several cars were stalled out at the Prime Avenue traffic light heading east. Fan belts were squealing as other cars blazed through three-inch high water.

Ingrid Werner of Lloyd Neck was one of those whose car stalled at the light and wouldn't restart. The Halls let her use the store phone so she could call a family member to pick up her husband from an appointment. That was where she was headed when her car died.

"There was someone already at the light and so I thought the road was okay, but as I came up next to him I realized that he was stuck there and then my car just stopped," she said, adding that the water was above her ankles. "I am swimming in my shoes right now," she said.

Barbara advised her to have a seat and wait for a bit. "The water will go down sooner or later," she said.
The Halls have gotten used to welcoming stranded people in to the store.

"We've even seen the Coast Guard have to come down here and rescue people," Barbara said. "You have no idea. Some people think the faster they go through the high water, the better. It's almost comical. Then you have the kids come down here and want to play in it but we're always worried they could fall in to the sewer."

Gary said that the water pressure is so strong it can remove the manhole covers and carry them down the road. "And they're heavy. Have you ever tried to lift one of them up? It's probably 150 or 200 pounds. But the water gets going and lifts them up and out."

When the water gets too high and close for comfort near the store, the Halls have foot-high wooden barriers with a rubber base that go on each of the doorways. "It will stop the water from coming in," Gary said.

The flooding is nothing new. When Barbara's father built the store more than 50 years ago, he refused to place it on a concrete slab.

"He filled 50-gallon barrels with cement and placed it on that," Gary said. "So it's like we're sitting on pilings."

Part of the problem, Gary said, is that the tew York State Department of Transportation does not clean out the storm drains often enough and, so, the water has nowhere to go.

"When it rains heavy in the Station, the water comes all the way down here from the Big H and gets backed up," he said.

He said the state has plans to raise New York Avenue up and place gullies on the side to carry the water all the way down to the harbor.

The pair are somewhat skeptical. "I'm not so sure that's going to work," Gary said. "But we'll see."

The rain is expected to continue through Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service forecast.