Glen Cove mayor says new storm drains could be coming to help flood-weary areas

According to Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck, new storm drains could be built on the streets around Woolsey Avenue.

Thema Ponton

Aug 21, 2024, 2:51 AM

Updated 26 days ago

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Help could be on the way in Glen Cove where neighbors have been trying to fight off flooding.
According to Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck, new storm drains could be built on the streets around Woolsey Avenue.
"We're going to need some more storm drains in certain areas and an engineering firm will be looking at that for us," says Panzenbeck."We have the issue on Woolsey with the water running down and flooding people's backyards."
Neighbors on Woolsey Avenue tell News 12 it's more than just an issue, it's an ongoing, serious problem they don't think has been seriously addressed by the city.
As News 12 has reported, neighbors have taken matters into their own hands when it rains and water flows onto their street and into backyards and basements.
Neighbors there say the reason their backyards and street flood when it rains is because water flows down from nearby streets and collects in their backyards and in their street.
"We don't know how much more damage is going to be if this keeps happening." said Iri Greco.
"I'm really, really tired of it," said Linda Melbinger.
Woolsey Avenue neighbors also say there aren't enough storm drains in the neighborhood - so much so, that when it rains, they take extreme measures to keep the rain at bay.
As News 12 has reported, during Sunday's storm one man held a flashlight in his mouth and was using a rake to try and clear a drain.
And just two weeks ago, as News 12's Kurt Semder reported, neighbors shared photos with News 12 of people using plywood and insulation to try and divert the water so it didn't flood into their homes.
"The rain can't go anywhere, so it just comes to our streets, to our drains and then, it's overwhelmed," said Ethan Melbinger.
Panzenbeck said there's no timeline yet for when new drains could be coming to the city.
Neighbors on Woolsey tell News 12 a fix can't come soon enough.
"We need to know that a plan is in place and we need to know what that plan is, when is that actually going to be acted up and we want to see some results." said Christopher Lockett.
"It's really stupid that this hasn't been solved yet," said Ethan Melbinger.