Pine Brook Floods Again

by Judy Silberstein

( September 15, 2002) This afternoon, Mother Nature disproved the theory that Pine Brook Drive floods only at high tide. Shortly after 4:00 pm, four hours before high tide, a heavy rainstorm caused substantial flooding in the streets and yards of the low-lying neighborhood at Pine Brook Drive and Kilmer Street.

Initially, rainwater flowed into the storm drains, as expected. But as Trustee Mike Wiener, Village Yard staff and several anxious homeowners surveyed the scene, the volume of rainwater increased, the flow suddently changed direction, and water erupted up from the drains into the streets and adjacent yards. In the past, this type of flooding has been associated with storms at high tide. It has been thought that high waters block the floodwaters from flowing properly from the storm drains into the Sound.

"This was not the 'perfect storm' " observed Pine Brook resident Irene Philippi, nevertheless her basement was full of water. Another neighbor was collecting water samples to check for the possibility of sewage contamination, though there were no obvious signs of sanitary sewer overflow. Both residents have experienced flood damage during previous floods (see August floods).

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