Monster storm swamps Merrick-Bellmore

A massive storm barreling out of the southern Atlantic dumped more than nine inches of driving rain on Merrick and Bellmore from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon, flooding the Meadowbrook Parkway, Coleman Country Day Camp and homes throughout the community. At the storm’s height, rain fell at a rate of more than an inch an hour, on par with a hurricane, according to the National Weather Service.

The area around the Meadowbrook Parkway was particularly hard hit, as the Meadow Brook, which runs along the parkway, overflowed its banks, sending water cascading in all directions. “There was very heavy flooding on the Meadowbrook,” said Ron Luparello, the Merrick Fire Department spokesman and a former chief, “and several cars attempted to go through it, and they didn’t make it.”

Merrick fire volunteers had to push cars off the parkway. Meanwhile, Luparello said, the department responded to more than 40 distress calls on Sunday. At many homes, electrical outlets “popped,” or blew out, when exposed to floodwaters, and firefighters had to shut the electricity down.

On top of it all, a number of volunteers like Luparello had to deal with their own flooded basements in between calls. Luparello went on calls on Sunday morning until the water in his basement got so deep that he had to return home and clean up. Toward day’s end, when the water in his basement subsided, he responded to more calls. On Monday, he was still clearing water from his home.

Historic flood at Coleman

Coleman Country Day Camp, on the west side of the Meadowbrook Parkway, off Babylon Turnpike, was swamped by floodwaters that rose three to four feet in places. Ross Coleman, the camp director, said he received a call from his chief maintenance worker at around 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, telling him that the camp was flooding. By the time Coleman arrived 45 minutes later, the water had risen two feet, endangering the camp’s four horses and a pony, which Ross and his staff managed to save, wading through water that reached past their waists to lead the animals to higher ground.