Surf Was Totally Up at Coney Island

If you've been to Coney Island, you know that it generally has baby waves--more New York Harbor than Atlantic Ocean. Not on Sunday during the nor'easter. There was both heavy surf and beach erosion. In any case, we just caught this on YouTube after our attention was pointed that way by someone on the Coney Island Message Board. If you didn't see this report on WCBS and you're not OD'd on nor'easter coverage, check it out.

Hip Wader Time: Gowanus Floods During Nor'easter

The Gowanus Canal did not disappoint yesterday. The pictures here show the Big G about one hour before high tide yesterday evening. The photos show the canal overflowing its banks at Second Street (above)and at Sackett Street. The other photo shows it within inches of doing the same elsewhere an hour before the high water mark. Also bear in mind that during heavy rains like yesterday's, raw sewage flows directly into the canal, so that what you are looking at is (almost literally) crap in the streets.

The Second Street photo is particularly noteworthy as it shows flooding at the location of what the Toll Brothers would like to develop as canal-side housing. The pictures were sent to us by Friends and Residents of Greater Gowanus (FROGG), which braved the rain and the unsavory water to take these photos. We don't know if the Whole Foods site, which is surrounded on two sides by the Gowanus, was rendered a sea of dirty water or not. The Gowanus Whole Foods will be beneath street level, meaning that, well...use your imagination. (There was additional significant flooding on Ninth Street, but we don't have photos.)

FROGG notes, "City Planning will be meeting with the community this Thu, April 19 to discuss changes in land use around here at the bottom of the Slopes." The meeting for those who are interested will happen at P.S. 32, which is located at 317 Hoyt Street, at 6:00 PM.

(Gowanus Lounge invites your storm stories and photos. Hit us off with an email or photos at gowanuslounge (at) gmail (dot) com. We will post them with gratitude.)


Sackett Street and the Canal


The Canal Between Carroll Street and Union Street Bridges
[All photos courtesy of Friends and Residents of Greater Gowanus (FROGG)]

Stormy Weather Part II: Brooklyn Waterworld Maps

As we spent yesterday looking out the window at the deluge--dismissing taking the camera down to Coney Island to shoot high water and wind or to search for a Gowanus Sewage Geyser (you have pics of either, email them to us and you will earn our undying gratitude)--our minds turned to the possibility of massive flooding in Brooklyn during a monster storm. No one knows when it will happen, except that it will happen and that the odds are increasing.

For a weird take on the ultimately watery fate of many Brooklyn neighborhoods, check out this article in the Brooklyn Rail. It has a good rundown of the possibilities, along with a bonus in the form of fascinating commentary from a real estate agent on Bedford Avenue:

We have zero influence on what’s going to happen. Take the Tsunami. Bad people live over there. Like, people in New Orleans were punished for all the prostitution, the gays and the lesbians. God doesn’t like that. So if the flood is going to come, it’s not from what we do.

Half of Brooklyn gets swamped in a Category Three hurricane, so we figured it useful to capture some images from the Hurricanes and NYC brochure produced by the Office of Emergency Management. (You can check out what should be in your Go Bag here.)

Note how especially screwed Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Gowanus, Red Hook and, of course, Coney Island are. Orange, by the way, is flooding in a Category One storm. Yellow is a Category Two and Green is a Category Three.


North Brooklyn Gloom--Williamsburg & Greenpoint Underwater


Gowanus and Red Hook Gloom--Very watery


Coney Island Coastal Gloom--Note how far inland water could reach

Related Posts:
The Amazing Underwater Borough
Ever Hear About Hog Island?

Stormy Weather Part I: Go Bag Season Cometh

Ah, yes, it's that time of year again. The Nor'easter and all the emails from the Office of Emergency Management got us to thinking about Go Bags. You know, the emergency bag you're supposed to keep around in case you have to run for your life? (Brooklyn, take note, under the wrong circumstances, about one-third of the borough would have to high tail it to higher ground.)

Here's what's supposed to be in your Go Bag, as per OEM's fun-filled website:

• Copies of your important documents in a waterproof and portable container (insurance cards, photo IDs, proof of address, etc.)
• Extra set of car and house keys
• Credit and ATM cards and cash, especially in small denominations. We recommend you keep at least $50-$100 on hand.
• Bottled water and non-perishable food such as energy or granola bars
• Flashlight
• Battery-operated AM/FM radio and extra batteries
• Keep a list of the medications each member of your household takes, why they take them, and their dosages. Medication information and other essential personal items. If you store extra medication in your Go Bag, be sure to refill it before it expires.
• First-aid kit
• Contact and meeting place information for your household, and a small regional map
• Child care supplies or other special care items

We're, frankly, a little surprised that no one's stepped in to fill the clear void for, you know, cool, hipster Go Bags. It's always important to look good, even when you're running for your life or lining up for food packages from the back of a Red Cross truck.

Gowanus Lounge Photo Du Jour: Eastern Parkway Waterfall

[Photo courtesy of luluinnyc/flickr]

This is Mount Prospect Park on Eastern Parkway between the Brooklyn Public Library and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Woah.