By JUDY RATTNER
The Rockville Centre area was especially hard hit, with a local television station reporting that neighboring Baldwin received 4.5 inches of rain over a period of about two hours.
The heaviest downpours came between 4 and 6 p.m., with more steady rain again from 6:30 to 7:30 and drizzle lasting through much of the night. The storm overwhelmed the village's drainage system and caused widespread flooding on roads and in homes. It stranded motorists, nearly submerged cars and forced police to close roads, including the Southern State Parkway at Exit 19, Peninsula Boulevard, where traffic was diverted.
Commuters on the Long Island Rail Road fared no better than those on the roads, as service on all lines east of Valley Stream was temporarily halted, and crews worked to repair damage to the third rail near Valley Stream that took a direct lightning strike.
Even before the heavy weather reached Rockville Centre, the National Weather Service had issued an almost unheard of tornado warning for southwest Nassau County. Radar showed a strong cell of the storm approaching Long Beach from the south, and detected telltale signs of rotation in the atmosphere that indicated a possible twister. A funnel cloud never reached the ground, and the weather service canceled the warning, but replaced it in short order with a local street and highway flood advisory for the entire area.
The village reported significant flooding on Roxen Road between Hempstead and North Village avenues, at Hempstead Avenue between Lakeview and DeMott avenues, at the corner of Lehigh and Beverly roads and on Maple Avenue between Long Beach Road and Jefferson Avenue. Flooding was also reported in Municipal Parking Field #2 from Randall Avenue north, on the appropriately named Water Street at Long Beach Road, on the corners of Morris and Maple avenues and Sherman and Capitolian avenues, at the Tarance Avenue dead end and at the intersection of Seaman Avenue and Long Beach Road.
One commuter who had parked in Field #2, near Terry Animal Hospital, said that vehicles in the northwest corner of the lot were standing in nearly two feet of water. When he and his wife retrieved their vehicle at 9 p.m., after taking a car service from the city, the man said, the water had drained but about 30 other cars remained, many of them, presumably, with engines that had been flooded. Water flowed out of some of them when drivers opened their doors.
Marin Muzinic of Marlborough Court said he has an SUV that started, but parts of the electrical system under the seat may have to be replaced, including the navigation unit, radio and window controls. He said repairs would cost $15,000 to $20,000, and that his vehicle might even be considered totaled.
Muzinic said he wanted to know how much liability, if any, the village would accept. After contacting the mayor's office, he said, he was told to write to Acting Village Administrator and Village Comptroller Michael Schussheim. A village spokesman had no comment.
At about 5 p.m., in the middle of the storm, the Rockville Centre Fire Department's inflatable boat was needed for a water rescue at the intersection of Hempstead and Lakeview Avenues after motorists drove into deep water. Drivers also needed to be rescued from flooded intersections at Merrick Road and South Forest Avenue, Seaman Avenue and Long Beach Road, Lakeview Avenue and Long Beach Road, and Long Beach Road and Maple Avenue.
Basements flooded and there were electrical problems at homes on North Village Avenue, Brower Avenue and Wachusetts Street, as well as at Central Synagogue on DeMott Avenue. Wires came down on Roxen Road, and there were manhole fires at the intersection of Hempstead Avenue and Andover Road and in front of 70 Lincoln Ave.
The village also reported two major power outages. The first occurred at around 6:15 p.m., when a voltage regulator failed inside the rainwater-filled manhole at Hempstead Avenue and Andover Road, causing the fire. It lasted until 8:50, and affected about 580 people. The manhole was eventually drained, the damaged equipment was removed and the affected circuits were repaired. Permanent repairs were scheduled for this week.
The second power failure occurred at around 7:30 p.m., lasting over seven hours and affecting about 410 customers. A switching device caused the fire in the manhole near 70 Lincoln Ave., at South Park Avenue, which also filled with water and caused a short-circuit in the equipment. Repairs were made early the following morning.
Rory J. Thompson and Jeff Kluewer contributed to this story. Comments about it? RVCeditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 208.
