Dear Editor:
Once again and in the most severe manner yet, the intersection of Avenue A and Tenth Street in Bayonne flooded with the tremendous amount of rainfall that our inadequate sewer system failed to dispose of. Even though this was an extreme weather event, this location has had a continual problem that has not been properly addressed by the City. The history of flooding here goes back through the four years we’ve lived here and beyond. Our basement had a foot of water in it, saturating our water heater and our boiler. Our plumber was here and informed us that our water heater – only 4 years old – needs to be replaced, and because the boiler is too wet to light, we will have to wait until it dries out to see what the damage is there. The City of Bayonne is costing us a lot of money, and there are many neighbors in the same position or worse.
In addition, there are safety issues involved: during the night of Ida’s arrival, at least two cars were stalled out in the middle of the intersection due to the depth of the standing water. The fire department had to escort the occupants to higher ground. All the cars parked close to the intersection were under knee-deep water; it’s doubtful that any can be saved. Cars floated down the street and came to rest on the sidewalks. This also means that oil and gasoline ended up in the storm sewers.
And because that night was garbage night, garbage bags floated everywhere and broke open. The Department of Public Works had to come out and clean up Avenue A. Was there a public service announcement to tell people not to put garbage out? Today there is a dumpster placed by the City for residents to dispose of ruined items; perhaps there is some admission of responsibility in that act.
What we experienced during this storm was a torrential river trying to go through a straw, the result of which costs people expensive repairs, not to mention the growth of mold in basements. The City needs to be better prepared for these emergencies by replacing the antiquated, small sewer pipes with pipes large enough to at least take care of the majority of the standing water. While this storm was unusually bad, the damage could at least be mitigated to a degree by an investment in better drainage. It’s dismaying to see all the grand plans for development in Bayonne when the basic problem of storm water is not being faced. Bayonne’s taxpayers need help – we voted for these elected officials in good faith that they would serve the City’s needs. These storm sewers need to be replaced.
E. Jordan/C. Hanson
