Homeowners on a Farmingdale street file lawsuit over frequent, epic flooding
Photo taken by the homeowners Ryan and Lauren Schneider. Their house on Linwood Avenue suffered flooding from a storm in September 2023. Credit: Schneider family
When heavy rain inundated Linwood Avenue in Farmingdale on Sept. 29, homeowners on the block said rainwater quickly encroached on their homes. It poured through windows like a waterfall and left up to 7 feet of sewage in their basements.
Now the neighbors are suing the Village of Farmingdale, the Town of Oyster Bay and Nassau County, alleging the damage was caused by the "the negligent construction, maintenance, operation, repair and control of the municipal sewer system and pipes," according to the homeowners' lawsuit, which was filed last week in state Supreme Court in Nassau County.
The street became overwhelmed with floodwaters during the September storm, which dropped more than 9 inches of rain on parts of the region, Newsday has reported. The floodwaters, spurred by the remnants of Tropical Storm Ophelia, destroyed children’s beds, appliances and family heirlooms, leaving residents on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars in repairs.
Jon Bell, a lawyer representing the six families who filed suit, said in an email that Farmingdale was "made aware of flooding issues in that area for decades."
"Had the Village [taken] appropriate measures to fix it, of which they had more than adequate notice to take corrective action, it would have prevented the entire loss," Bell said.
Farmingdale Mayor Ralph Ekstrand declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Since the September storm, the county has been cleaning the sewer basins serving Linwood Avenue, Ekstrand has said. Late last year, the village authorized a $43,000 contract with H2M architects + engineers to find solutions for the drainage issues on Linwood Avenue.
The village has received a draft of the firm's study, and a final version is expected this September, Ekstrand said.
Oyster Bay Town spokesman Brian Nevin said the town has "great compassion for the homeowners," but he said the town "has been improperly named in the lawsuit as the Town has no jurisdiction over the roadway, drainage or sump in this area."
Nassau County spokesman Chris Boyle did not respond for a request to comment.
Nassau County asked for financial aid through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Public Assistance Program, which reimburses only the county for repair efforts, not homeowners. FEMA on Wednesday did not say whether any aid was distributed.
A disaster declaration from the U.S. Small Business Administration in November made low-interest, long-term loans available for homeowners to pay for storm-related repairs.
When heavy rain inundated Linwood Avenue in Farmingdale on Sept. 29, homeowners on the block said rainwater quickly encroached on their homes. It poured through windows like a waterfall and left up to 7 feet of sewage in their basements.
Now the neighbors are suing the Village of Farmingdale, the Town of Oyster Bay and Nassau County, alleging the damage was caused by the "the negligent construction, maintenance, operation, repair and control of the municipal sewer system and pipes," according to the homeowners' lawsuit, which was filed last week in state Supreme Court in Nassau County.
The street became overwhelmed with floodwaters during the September storm, which dropped more than 9 inches of rain on parts of the region, Newsday has reported. The floodwaters, spurred by the remnants of Tropical Storm Ophelia, destroyed children’s beds, appliances and family heirlooms, leaving residents on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars in repairs.
Jon Bell, a lawyer representing the six families who filed suit, said in an email that Farmingdale was "made aware of flooding issues in that area for decades."
"Had the Village [taken] appropriate measures to fix it, of which they had more than adequate notice to take corrective action, it would have prevented the entire loss," Bell said.
Farmingdale Mayor Ralph Ekstrand declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Since the September storm, the county has been cleaning the sewer basins serving Linwood Avenue, Ekstrand has said. Late last year, the village authorized a $43,000 contract with H2M architects + engineers to find solutions for the drainage issues on Linwood Avenue.
The village has received a draft of the firm's study, and a final version is expected this September, Ekstrand said.
Oyster Bay Town spokesman Brian Nevin said the town has "great compassion for the homeowners," but he said the town "has been improperly named in the lawsuit as the Town has no jurisdiction over the roadway, drainage or sump in this area."
Nassau County spokesman Chris Boyle did not respond for a request to comment.
Nassau County asked for financial aid through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Public Assistance Program, which reimburses only the county for repair efforts, not homeowners. FEMA on Wednesday did not say whether any aid was distributed.
A disaster declaration from the U.S. Small Business Administration in November made low-interest, long-term loans available for homeowners to pay for storm-related repairs.
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