Heavy rain causes flooding in Long Beach

Heavy rainfall that began on Friday morning consumed Nassau County’s South Shore and flooded some streets in Long Beach. A flood advisory was in effect for eastern Nassau County until 2:45 p.m.

The National Weather Service reported accumulations of an inch to an inch and a half of rain per hour, and Park Avenue and other major roads were virtually underwater and impassable, residents said.

“We had a very intense rainfall in a very short period of time,” Long Beach Public Works Commissioner John Mirando said. “It was one inch of rain in fifteen to twenty minutes. The roads aren’t designed for that kind of a rainfall.”

“It was a quick-moving storm,” added Fire Commissioner Scott Kemins, who noted that the Fire Department didn’t receive any emergency calls related to the storm.

The rain cleared and flooding in the area receded on Friday afternoon.

“The Canals weren’t bad because it was low tide,” Mirando said, adding that high tide hit at about 7 a.m.

“That was a real significant heavy downpour,” said Sam Pinto, president of the Eastholme Civic Association. “Some of the roads were completely underwater. In the middle of town there was a tremendous amount of rain — there were roads that were completely covered in water event after the rain stopped. People are questioning if our infrastructure can handle such heavy rain over a short period of time.”

“This wasn’t an issue with drains not being clear — it was how much rain came down at once,” Mirando said. “As soon as it let up, it drained right out. It would be impossible — and unaffordable — to build a storm system that can handle that amount of rain in that short of a time period."

He said public works crews would be out throughout the day to clear storm drains and inlets to prepare for the next storm.

Leah Rosensweig Tozer, a local business owner who’s running for City Council this year, said it was the worst flooding she’s ever seen in 11 years of having her business on Park Avenue. “It shows how bad the plumbing and infrastructure is in the middle of downtown. I had to put bags on my feet. There were waves breaking on the sidewalk.”