Last week’s flash flood on Broadway was bad. But not unprecedented.
Municipal Clerk Richard Cuttrell found this newspaper photo on the Internet. It is from 1952 and shows people canoeing at the intersection of Broadway and Beach Avenue.
Since the eastern end of Broadway is the lowest-lying part of town, that’s where a huge proportion of Ocean Grove’s rain water flows. In fact, much of that area used to be part of Fletcher Lake.
— Charles Layton
Ahhhh, so history speaks! Maybe, like the outer banks, someone forgot the area is a massive flood zone and built houses anyway? Lo and behold, we have flooding basements? Although this project has been a pain in various body parts for all of us who live on or near Broadway, I doubt highly that Township Officials are sitting behind their desks wondering how they can make the flooding on Broadway WORSE.
I believe you have individuals who are dedicated and are trying to solve decades-old problems with limited acreage and work space, not to mention that the lake and ultimately the ocean have to act as the drainage basins. Sometimes Mother Nature is just not cooperative, as I have found out personally in my own basement. Perhaps less basement development in the flood zone would have been the answer.
There are many ways to solve this problem. Let them do their work and finish.