Community Corner

Not Again! Rain Causes Flooding in Indian Village

Four days of rain finally pushed Blind Brook over its limits, flooding homes again.

During Thursday morning rush hour, police cars blocked the intersection of Purchase Street and Highland Avenue preventing drivers from heading into Indian Village. The smell of fuel oil still wafted in the air around Highland Hall. And water rushed into the Highland Avenue parking lot spilling onto the road.

"The water from the tide came from one direction and the water over the dam from the other, it was a perfect storm," said Jim Amico of Midland Avenue.

Four days of sometimes heavy rain, the weakened remnants of Tropical Storm Lee, had finally gotten the best of Blind Brook just over a week after Hurricane Irene caused major flooding and damage to surrounding homes and businesses.

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By noon the sun had re-emerged, but overnight was when the waters first started to rage as heavy rain fell for hours. Around 1 a.m., according to residents in Indian Village and business owners near Purchase Street, is when Blind Brook finally burst its banks sending flood waters back into homes and businesses still cleaning up from Hurricane Irene.

On Wappanocca Avenue, neighbors checked on each other and recounted having to spread news of the rising flood waters to each other. They wondered why the alert from Rye Police didn't go out until 4 hours hours later. Newly installed water heaters will go on the rubbish heap and the wait for safety inspections, restoration of power and appointments with contractors will have to start all over again.

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Photographer Mark Yancey, a former Indian Village resident, drove in from Greenwich just to see his old neighborhood. He said he left the neighborhood after his house flooded three times in one season.

"They said then it was a forty year event," said Yancey. "But this keeps happening more often, something has to be done." Yancey pointed to different houses ticking off the number of times the owners have had to rebuild.

Rounding the bend, Rye High School's athletic field was once again completely inundated with water. Only last night, the board of education discussed the nearly $90,000 worth of damage caused by Hurricane Irene. Whether this flooding will cause more extensive damage or just be a wash remains to be calculated.

Business went on at flood-weary Fong's Cleaners on Elm Place. Pressers steamed and plastic-wrapped garments turned on the conveyor.

"What can you do?" said Eric Moy. "We can pump out the basement, but at some point they're going to have to figure out something they can do to fix this." He pointed at the rushing waters, making their way down through downtown. "Something has to be done."


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