Snow, Tide = Floods
A high tide during Monday’s snowstorm caused floodwaters from Gardiner’s Bay and Accabonac Harbor to inundate Gerard Drive in Springs and also caused flooding along Napeague Meadow Road on Napeague, where the water was two feet deep in places. Both roads were closed that day but back to normal on Tuesday, according to Highway Superintendent Steve Lynch.
The repeated breach of the Gerard Drive causeways, which can cut off access for residents living on that peninsula, is of concern to the Springs Fire Department, Town Councilman Fred Overton, a founding member of the department, told the town board Tuesday. Board members agreed to look into potential solutions to prevent future flooding.
Following Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the town applied for a grant that would pay for the reconstruction and fortification of problematic sections of Gerard Drive. The request is still pending. “We’re still optimistic that we will get that funding, even though it’s taken a long time,” Supervisor Larry Cantwell said at Tuesday’s meeting.
But though that work could prevent water from undermining the roadbed, it would not hold back rising waters.
Years ago, Mr. Overton said, “there was always a small dune.” Whether the barrier simply eroded over time or was eaten away after a culvert was installed under a section of the road is unclear. “Some people want to blame the culvert for creating the problem,” Mr. Overton said.
“Even on a regular moon tide the tide is right up to the road, if not in the road,” he said. “There are full-time residents there.”
“I think it is climate change, sea level rise, that’s beginning to weigh on some of these vulnerable areas,” Mr. Cantwell suggested.
During another recent storm, the supervisor said, crews from PSEG Long Island responding to reports of power outages at the end of Gerard Drive encountered some problems. “They started working on it,” he said, “and they were literally taking waves onto their truck.”
Mr. Cantwell said that David Daly, the president and chief operating officer of PSEG, had worked closely with him to resolve the situation. When it looked as if electricity might be out for hours, PSEG gave the town contact information for residents whose power had been cut off by flooding. Town officials got in touch to ask those people if they wanted to be evacuated. None did, Mr. Cantwell reported, and crews soon got their power back on.
Mr. Lynch said this week that the Highway Department has payloaders, and the town has several other vehicles that can get through floodwaters. Also, he said, there is an off-road detour on Gerard Drive to get around one spot that consistently floods.