A watery aftershock on Rockaway Avenue

It has been more than a month since a nor’easter wreaked havoc on Nassau County, leaving tens of thousands of residents without power and flooding village streets and homes. Though weeks have passed, some are still dealing with the effects of the storm — and are looking for some answers.

Alex Martins, owner of Wine and Liquors on Rockaway Avenue in Valley Stream, said the basement of his store has been flooded for weeks. At the peak of the storm, Martins said, the water was nine inches deep, and destroyed 65 cases of merchandise. “The damage I’ve had, including goods, is around $40,000,” he said. “I feel the village has to fix it.”

Martins added that he has spoken to other business owners on Rockaway Avenue who had similar flooding after the storm, though none as bad as his. The Rev. Steven Milazzo, pastor of Bethlehem Assembly of God on Fairview Avenue, said that the church basement was flooded, but only minimally. “We had a little problem with the water table,” Milazzo said, “but nothing I would say that was extreme.”

After the record rainfalls in March, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey noted that groundwater levels in Nassau County are the highest they have been in four decades. Residents as well as business owners in the village have seen more than their share of flooding woes. But Village Clerk Vinny Ang explained that there is nothing the village can do about it, and it is up to property owners to pump excess water out. “It’s groundwater,” Ang said of the flooding in Martins’s basement — which he sent a village engineer to evaluate. “There’s nothing we can do. If it were a broken water pipe, it would be different.”

Ang noted that Valley Stream did not get its name by accident. “This is a low-lying area that has a number of historic stream beds that run under it,” he said. “When you get the kind of rain we got, and the [water] table comes up, you’re going to have flooding and there’s not much we can do about it.”

Village Engineer Tony Cella said he has fielded more than 150 calls about flooded homes since the storm, and residents have told him this was the first time this has ever happened. “It’s happening all over the village,” Cella said of the flooding. “But the levels are definitely going down. Running-water streams are running dry, and it’s only a matter of time before it starts to recede.”

Cella explained that the March storm and the subsequent flooding should serve as a reminder to businesses and homeowners in the village. “Don’t have anything on the ground in your basement,” he said.

Martins said he called his insurance company to ask if it would cover the damage from the flooding. “They told me they don’t cover it because it’s groundwater,” he said, and, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, added, “They told me to ask for FEMA. Well, that will never happen.”

Martins said he didn’t think it was fair that he has to shoulder the flood repair costs. “It’s not only my problem,” he said. “Taxes are so high, they could at least help the business owners here.”