Oceanside, Island Park Letters to the Editor

The focus is on I.P. flooding

To the Editor:

Flooding in our Island Park community has continued to cause disruption, fear and even property damage.

I want to outline what the village is doing and the critical steps it has been taking to mitigate this issue. The village is working extremely hard, and is dedicated to remediating the problems.

As part of our FEMA grant and agreement, a drainage study is currently being conducted. The study, an estimated 18-month project, has now been accelerated to nine months after steady, persistent inquires by the village. We will provide updates to the Island Park community as we receive them from the engineering firm conducting the study. The findings will also be shared with FEMA so that we may be eligible for even more funding.

An additional step being taken to ease the flooding is the hydraulic power cleaning of every drain in the village. This will dislodge and remove any debris and/or sediment in the system, and allow the areas of the system that are undamaged and working properly to drain more volume faster.

Immediately after the drainage study and once findings are presented to the village and FEMA, plans will be prepared for the reconstruction and/or replacement of areas of the drainage system. Following all FEMA guidelines, the village will then seek bids for the work to be completed.

We will continue to provide residents with updates as we receive them from the engineering firms and FEMA. Be assured that we are working tirelessly to expedite the studies and the construction, but also keep in mind that studies have been done recently stating that our everyday tides are rising very quickly. Waterfront communities throughout Long Island have seen a noticeable increase in flooding, even with no drainage issues.

I will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of Island Park residents, my neighbors and friends.

Michael G. McGinty

Mayor, Island Park

Fix drainage to stop flooding

To the Editor:

Everyone is complaining about flooding in their area. Some facts:

The drainage systems, along with the sewers, were installed in the early 1960’s (I was here when the Town was literally dug up) and are now seriously damaged. Ride through any waterway and you will see bent and broken water outfall pipes.

Secondly, we never flooded in the ‘50’s. We lived across the street from a canal and never had water go past our curb during the biggest hurricanes (Hazel, Donna, etc.). We flood now because the south end of town was irresponsibly over-built on filled-in marshland, leaving all hardscape with nothing to absorb the water.

The only one who has addressed this, and only partially, is Freeport. Look at Sportsman’s Avenue and the Nautical Mile, where the entire street was raised at great government expense.

Keith Andoos

Oceanside