Weekend Storms Destroy L.I. Family's 'Dream Home'
NEW YORK (CBS 2/ 1010 WINS) -- The pounding rain wreaked havoc around the tri-state area last night and Nassau County was hit especially hard.
Several homes in New Hyde Park suffered major flood damage. At least 100 people were evacuated from their homes after flooding caused an 8-foot wall section to collapse around midnight. The collapse ruptured a gas main and also affected a water main.
Residents of all but four of the 30 homes that had to be evacuated have been allowed back in.
The Nassau County Office of Emergency Management said once the electrical equipment is certified to be safe, occupants of three of the houses will be able to go home.
Having just moved into their house in April, Shabana Patel and her husband Ali must now start over.
"It was a dream home for us. The two of us have worked so hard. We love the neighborhood, the school district and everything. We're paying high taxes for this house. We didn't know that something like this was going to destroy my house," she said.
Last night's torrential rain caused a foundation wall in their home to collapse, their basement to flood, and a gas line to leak as well, causing evacuations throughout the block.
As crews pumped water out of their basement Monday morning, the Patels were concerned with the severity of the damage. They were away from their house last night and returned during the downpour. They considered their timing to be a blessing.
"We are very grateful that we were not home and thank God my child is safe. We're all safe and we have family to support us, so we are good," Shabana Patel said.
Their home remained one of four on the block that is unliveable due to water damage. "I'm just waiting here since last night. I'm just seeing because this was my dream house. Now it's a nightmare. I don't know what I'm going to do," Ali Patel said.
Ali said his immediate plans were that he and his family will stay with his brother or with friends until they figure out what to do about their home.
LISTEN: WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs reports from Herricks
At one point Sunday night, the National Weather Service reported rainfall at the rate of two inches per hour in Nassau County.
Cars were partially submerged in the Springfield Gardens area of Queens, and motorists were not the only ones effected.
Numerous basements throughout Queens and Nassau were flooded, and at least one MTA bus was stranded due to the flooding as well.
There were issues on the Long Island Expressway, Northern State Parkway and the Belt Parkway as well. The Belt Parkway was closed for a period of time and one motorist explained how he got stranded.
"We tried to give it a push. We didn't know it'd be this bad. It was a flooded road. Didn't know how deep it was. The next minute, we're trapped," said trapped driver Simon Tikaram.
In Hillsdale, New Jersey, a flood warning was issued for those living near the Pascack Brook.
LISTEN: WCBS 880's Paul Murnane reports Bergen Co.finally got the rain it needed, a lot of it
Flooding also was reported in parts of Rockland County. In Nyack, flooding clogged storm drains with debris and dumped muddy water into building basements along a three block-stretch.
About 5,200 customers were still without power in Nassau County Monday, and officials were trying to determine which of these homes that have been flooded were safe enough for their owners to return.
Some in Bellmore are upset that new FEMA maps place them in a flood zone.
LISTEN: WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs in Bellmore
The Nassau County Health Department closed 19 beaches Monday as a precautionary measure after the heavy rainfall. The Department said storm water runoff can have a negative impact by elevating bacterial levels used to assess bathing water quality.
The following beaches have been closed: Centre Island Sound, Creek Club, Lattingtown Beach, Laurel Hollow Beach, Morgan Sound, North Hempstead Beach Park, Piping Rock Beach Club, Prybil Beach, Ransom Beach, Roosevelt Beach, Sea Cliff Village Beach, Soundside Beach, Stehli Beach, Tappen Beach, Biltmore Beach Club, Hewlett Point Beach, Island Park Beach, Merrick EstatesCivic Association, and Phillip Healey Beach.
