No easy fixes for Seaford harbor flooding

When the Seaford Harbor neighborhood was first created, its developer wanted to ensure that all homeowners had access to one of the area’s greatest assets — the water. More than a dozen access points, known as anchorages, were created in the area the public access to the canals whether they were a waterfront property owner or not.

One resident says that while the access points are nice to have, he believes the design contributed to the devastating flooding that occurred when Hurricane Sandy hit two years ago. Richard Dick, of Alcona Street, said he never saw flooding in his 37 years living in Seaford like he did when Sandy struck. The water came up to the bottom of his front door, and caved in his garage doors.

At an access point just around the corner from him on Riverside Drive, Dick pointed to debris that has been in the water since Sandy hit, including a broken dock. “Nobody’s cleaned it up,” he said. “It’s been there for so long.”

He also said that geese coming into the neighborhood are a big problem, as they come right out of the water and into the streets.

Dick said he would like to see bulkheads added at several of the access points, which he feels would stop the water from rushing into the community during a major storm. At one access point at Riverside Drive and Terrapin Place, he noted that it is just a dirt path that descends down into the water.

“There’s points where there’s no bulkheads at all,” he said. “You have that kind of scenario where there’s nothing to stop the water.”

The canal access points belong to the community, and are meant to remain undeveloped. The clause that these are public parcels was included in the original deeds to homes in the area. Michael Victor, vice president of the Seaford Harbor Civic Association, said there have been disputes in the past where adjoining residents have tried to add these pieces to their properties.

Victor said that the access points are supposed to remain in a natural state, and there is no real provision to maintain them. A spokesman for the Town of Hempstead said that the town is not responsible for these parcels.

A few bulkheads have been installed over time. Some remain in place, while others have deteriorated. Victor said that repairing, replacing or adding bulkheads is not the solution, and it is unknown who would even pay for that work to be done.

In the event of a big storm, he said, water would find a way in to the community. “There’s no bulkhead that’s going to stop any of that,” he said. “It’s a moot point. It means nothing when it comes to stopping Mother Nature.”

He added that once the water gets to a certain point, it backs up through the storm drains.

Dick said he believes the addition of some bulkheads, or even some basic maintenance of the access points, are little fixes that could go a long way toward protecting Seaford Harbor homeowners from further devastation.

He noted that Sandy was truly the “perfect storm” as it struck during high tide, but he feels the design of some of the access points just invited more severe flooding “Anything to hold back the water,” he said, “it will help.”