Brook Broke Banks Early Monday Morning; Reports of Flooded Basements

While it was no Hurricane Floyd, heavy rain broke the banks of the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook and sent water shooting into basements around the village early Monday morning.

Village Senior Engineering Aide Peter Affuso said according to the United States Geographical Survey's gauge at the brook, the water levels peaked between midnight and 2 a.m. Monday, registering three-and-half feet. The flood stage is three feet.

But, he said, "The brook crests quickly and and goes down quickly." Peter Affuso said water levels have dropped considerably in the hours since and there should be no current danger, although residents have called the Engineering office and reported flooded basements. Some residents were not residing in the flood plain, Affuso said.

At the end of the day, he remarked there could be many contributing factors to what caused the brook to break its banks and the events that led to other areas taking on water. Storm drains could overflow, melted snow could be an added culprit, it could be groundwater, the rate of rainfall, the terrain and elevation points, and other possibilities exist, he said.

Houses on the south side of Veterans Field had large pools of water beyond the retaining wall. There's a pipe that feeds into the ditch between the homes on Marshall Place and Warren, which Affuso said could backflow if the brook rises. The engineering department is currently investigating the cause of flooding to those homes and they suspect a clogged storm drain could be at fault.

The village will clear storm drains if residents believe they're blocked and the engineering department will offer advice to those asking. Any home within the 100 year flood plain with a mortgage is required to have flood insurance, Affuso added.

The Graydon South lot also took on water. "There were silt deposits; [Village Engineer] Chris [Rutishauser] was out last night moving cars," he said. Affuso could not say if the deposits of snow that had been piled in the lot caused any flooding of the lot but said it's a possibility. Parking is permitted on Beverly today although portions of N. Irving are closed with PSE&G work on utility lines.

A stop by the high school sports fields revealed little, if any damage, from the brook. Gym classes from RHS were out using the turfed fields and PSE&G was seen working on the 70 and 80-foot lights around the perimeter of the fields.

[Editor's note: An earlier version incorrectly noted homes within the 100 feet of the flood plain require flood insurance; homes in the 100 year flood plain with a mortgage require insurance, according to Peter Affuso. Quotes had been misattributed to Jovan Mehandzic. The correction has been made.]