FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM SEPTEMBER 9, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 9
Sunnysiders recount terrifying night of fl ooding
BY DEAN MOSES
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
On Th ursday morning, Sept.
2, residents and business owners
in Sunnyside began their
cleanup eff orts following fl ash
fl oods spurred by the recordsetting
rainfall from the remnants
of Hurricane Ida.
Many living in the outer borough
were unable to travel to
work since all trains, aside from
the 7 line, remained out of service,
and the commuters who
did push forward were met with
signifi cant delays and overcrowding
— especially when
transferring at Grand Central
Station.
Th ose who were left behind
dug in, gripping mops, buckets
and sandbags in order to help
salvage businesses and homes
throughout the neighborhood.
Laura Heim is an architect
working out of a studio on
Skillman Avenue. Her husband,
Jeff rey Kroessler, decided to aid
his wife with the cleanup aft er
mass transit failed him.
“I got on the 7 train since
there was no N train service
into Manhattan. When I was
waiting since the 1, 2 and 3
were screwed up, I was getting
other trains to Columbus
Circle, but Laura messaged
me about the flood, so I just
turned around back home,”
Kroessler said. “It’s extraordinary,
last night we had so much
water coming in here.”
Even though Heim was
spending the morning cleaning
Commuters hardly have elbow room.
out the carnage, she was thankful
her work was stored above
ground.
“It’s a mess. Fortunately, I’m
an architect so I had most of my
documents wrapped in plastic
protective seals, but the other
stuff is just gone,” Heim said
solemnly as she sift ed through
personal paintings and drawings.
“I don’t know what the
issue is; are the sewers not capable?”
While businesses owners
attempted to reclaim their livelihoods,
those dwelling beneath
ground in the area were lucky to
escape with their lives.
Ken Kurani was forced to fl ee
his basement apartment overnight
aft er his door was pulverized
by excessive water.
Clutching his pet cat, Kurani
and his sister took shelter in
their neighbor’s apartment,
leaving behind their belongings
to the fl ood. Almost everything
Hurricane Ida
Photos by Dean Moses
A door to a basement residence was pulverized overnight, forcing occupants
to fl ee.
Kurani’s door was warped from the fl ood. Queens residents prepare for the long cleanup.
they owned was damaged.
“It broke the door in,” Kurani
said, pointing down at the waterline.
“Around 8 o’clock, everything
was fi ne, and then around
9 o’clock, we started noticing a
little bit of water coming in and
I decided to check the drain
and use a trash can to scoop all
the water out. It’s weird that the
amount of water I was scooping
out was less than what was
coming in.”
Even by mid-morning
Th ursday, water still remained
in the residence.
Kurani waded with Schneps
Media through the deluge and
pointed out his front door,
which had been completely
warped by the storm, and
showed the irreparable items
and furniture in his living room.
“Everything here was submerged
in water. As it got higher,
it lift ed up the furniture. Th e
refrigerator got lift ed, all the
beds, everything moved. A lot
of our documents, photos and
computer and electronics are
gone. We lost everything, but at
least we are still alive,” Kurani
said.
The shared sentiment in
Sunnyside was that of confusion
and distress. Like many
in the area, the owner of Tom’s
Dry Cleaning and Alterations
on 46th Street decried the sorry
state of the city for allowing
things to get this severe.
“Th e water from the street just
came inside. Th e sewage is a big
problem if they don’t clean it.
Th e city has to clean. Th ere is
a lot of dirt clogging it, and the
water builds up,” Tom said as a
friend helped him clean.
“Th is time, this is too much,”
Tom said, describing the sheer
force of water, especially when
cars drove by, sending waves
coursing into his shop.
“It’s just too much,” Tom
added, exasperated.
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