Rockville Centre is prepared to weather the storm

Rockville Centre is bracing for the worst this hurricane season. Despite having evaded the impact of tropical storm Debby, which made its way up the Atlantic coastline last week, many stress the importance of taking a proactive approach when faced with heavy rain, potential flooding and damaging winds.

“As we prepare for flood conditions, it is critical that New Yorkers monitor their local forecasts and take proper precautions,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement last week. “My administration will continue to monitor and deploy necessary resources to impacted areas across the state.”

Last summer, several communities along the south shore of Long Island, including Rockville Centre, were impacted by one of the heaviest September rainstorms in history, which resulted in knee-deep floods and dangerous driving conditions on several of the village’s busiest roadways including Long Beach Road, Hempstead Avenue, Lakeview Avenue and Peninsula Boulevard.

That is why this year, the village was not taking any chances.

“We are ready to go,” said Rockville Centre Mayor Francis Murray. “We have our crews out there clearing drains.”

Mayor Murray said that both the electric department and the fire department were on standby in case the weather worsened. He said tree companies were also put on high alert to monitor any potential damage from fallen branches.

Murray, however, also noted that there are some potential hot spots, particularly between Long Beach Road and Maple Avenue, and between Hempstead Avenue and Village Avenue, where flooding is more prone to occur.

“We do the best we can with the drains that are there,” he said, adding that there is very little they can do if hit with large volumes of rainwater. “There is nothing you can do to prevent that from happening.”

The flooding that occurred last year caused damage in several locations, including the basement of the John A. Anderson Recreation Center and at The Backyard Players and Friends, a nonprofit focused on inclusivity and the special-needs community.

The Backyard Players had originally scheduled to host their second annual Oktoberfest fundraiser that day when they learned that the business on North Long Beach Road had flooded.

Ellen White, the co-director of the organization, said that in response to last year’s weather event, they are on high alert in case anything such as this were to take place again.

“Every time rain is predicted, we have to put the sandbags out,” White said. “It is part of our day-to-day.”

However, this hadn’t always been the case. Just before the storm last year, White said she was at the St. Agnes Parish Center setting everything up for the event when she got the call advising everyone to shelter in place. 

“We had no idea that our stores were being flooded,” White said. “There was nothing we could have done that would have helped stop that flood.”

When they finally made it back, she was surprised to find several neighboring businesses and residents had come to help with the cleanup.

In the event of a hurricane, residents are advised to create an emergency plan, keep all important papers in one spot, bring in all outdoor furniture and anything not tied down to avoid debris and make sure your trees are trimmed and healthy. For alerts on emergencies sign-up for MY RVC, the village’s mobile app, or Swift 911.