Flooding became a big concern for many on the East End Wednesday, where a nor'easter dumped mostly rain.

Hawk Woodson, 81, has lived his whole life in Riverhead. So he's used to seeing the Peconic River flooding the parking lot downtown on Main Street, he told News 12.

"Every year it comes up," he said. "Every time you have a storm, it floods, especially in last week's storm."

Coastal geologist Aram Terchunian said it happens when there's a combination of a lot of rain and winds coming from the east.

"All the water that's been pushed into the Peconic is going to be held there," he said. "So as the tide tries to go out, the wind is going to hold it in and push it against the shoreline."

So with no snow to plow, road crews instead worked to unclog storm drains and try and prevent flooding in neighborhoods.

In Southold, the vulnerable town beach has faced erosion problems in recent years.

Water has torn sand out from under the parking lot, causing about 10 to 12 feet of asphalt to collapse and crumble. 

The town has since built up a berm with donated dredged sand to try and prevent water from coming up farther and protect the rest of the parking lot and County Road 48.

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