Fast and fierce rainfall floods parts of Bay Ridge

Bay Ridge was one of several Brooklyn neighborhoods hit with massive rainfall and flooding that wreaked havoc on the borough Oct. 30.

According to the National Weather Service, 1.80 inches of rain fell in Central Park during the storm.

A 20-minute downpour began at about 3:50 p.m., a spokesman for the city’s Emergency Management agency told the New York Times.

Several blocks in the nabe were flooded, and Valerie Vislocky from NYC Parks helped unclog sewers from Fort Hamilton Senior Recreation Center, 9941 Fort Hamilton Parkway, to Marine Avenue.

“We noticed flooding happening in one area and unclogged the sewer,” she said. “Then, [we] noticed a house across from us, and its driveway started to flood, so we unclogged two sewers over there. There was a woman who didn’t speak English over by the mosque who was screaming for help. She was really scared, so we helped her find the sewers. Everything was up to our knees. We helped the mosque clear out his sewer and then two other ones by the tennis courts.”

She said there wasn’t much help in the area.

“I called 911 because an elderly woman was in complete panic, but nobody came,” Vislocky said.  “But we also had the backup traffic from the bridge not letting trucks on, so I don’t think they would have been able to get down if they were trying to come.

“I’ve been working on Fort Hamilton Parkway for about 11 years and have never seen it flood that bad,” she said.

Over at Third Avenue and 79th Street, resident Ramon D. saw flooding occur outside of storefronts.

“There were so many fallen leaves clogging the drains and the rain came down so fast,” he said. “Lots of good neighbors cleared the drains. I haven’t seen flooding that bad here in a long time.”

At Shore Road and 86th Street, resident Gale Young said the water was halfway up the wheels of her car.

“I’m just trying to find out who’s ultimately responsible for ensuring the catch basins are kept clear,” she said. “I don’t want to trash DSNY, but it’s ridiculous how this happens every time it rains. Yes, the sewers are old. We know that. But I feel like we should be doing more both as a community and at the city level.”