Community Corner

Basements Flood From Rye Brook to Downtown Rye

The sound of sump pumps filled the neighborhoods of Rye Brook and Rye as homeowners dealt with souvenirs of Hurricane Irene: flooded basements, broken trees and a swollen waterway.

Irene left many homeowners in Rye Brook and Rye with a nasty souvenir: flooded basements from a swollen, raging waterway. 

From Wyman Street in Rye Brook to Indian Village to downtown Rye, sump pumps rumbled as residents tried to bail out water from their lower levels.

Rye Brook homeowner Roly Cochachi and his family worked together to pump water out of his Wyman Street home. Cochachi flung open the basement doors revealing nearly six feet of standing water, progress made after four hours of pumping.

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His neighbor Anthony Sciandra said he had dealt with the overflow from Blind Brook many times before. This time the raging waters tore through the fence and stone retaining wall meant to discipline its rageful ways.

"Mother Nature does what it wants," said Sciandra. He pushed ahead with the work of clearing soggy, ruined couches and televisons from his basement. "Everything's floating.

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According to Sciandra and Cochachi water started broaching their basements in the early morning hours on Sunday, long before the full force of the storm even manifested itself. From there, conditions only deteriorated. 

Those same waters bullied their way through the basements and streets of Indian Village in Rye. At the end of evening, neighbors stood together chatting while their sumps chugged on into the night.


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