Argyle, Rugby, Albermarle Roads
Hit Worst in Historic Neighborhood
By Sarah Tobol
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
BROOKLYN — On the morning of August 8, Al Cleary was waiting for the rain to subside so he could go walk his dogs. Suddenly, everything got really bright and “I thought the windows were going to explode,” he said, and then it was over.
Cleary lives in Prospect Park South, one of several areas, also including Ditmas Park, Victorian Flatbush and Kensington, where last week’s tornado hit after it blazed through Bay Ridge and Sunset Park.
Since the most serious damage from the tornado was concentrated in Bay Ridge and Sunset Park, the media concentrated much of its attention on those areas. Fortunately, the city’s efforts have touched all the areas where the storm hit.
Cleary, who is the president of the homeowners association in Prospect Park South, said the cleanup effort was “amazing to see, even though the media focused on Bay Ridge, the city focused on the damage.” He said efforts of the Police Department, the Parks Department and the Sanitation Department were well-coordinated and efficient, so the lack of media attention didn’t matter to him.
Jim Dougal, also a resident of Prospect Park South, said, “We got hit pretty hard in a fairly small area, it was quite the mess.” He also noticed some media neglect, “residents in Prospect Park South were surprised there was no media coverage,” because the storm took down many trees.
The neighborhood, known for its large Victorian houses, is different in character than others in Brooklyn, said Cleary. Most of the houses are single-family homes that have garage, driveways and spaces between the houses, so “the trees had a place to land” when they fell.
While houses were damaged, “it was nothing like Bay Ridge where they [the houses] were condemned.” Instead, most of the destruction came to vehicles in the area.
“Most of the cars damaged, unfortunately, belonged to people who didn’t live in the neighborhood, just parked there,” said Cleary. “Fortunately, no one got hurt.”
According to Cleary, the tornado hit Argyle, Rugby and Albemarle Roads the worst, and hit Marlborough, Westminster and Stratford Roads badly. The damage only occurred between Beverly Road and Church Avenue, he explained.
Larry Jayson, president of the Albemarle Neighborhood Association, said he saw a tree uprooted, lying across Albemarle Road. “That tree has been there forever,” he said.
Jayson walked to where he needed to go that morning because “it didn’t make sense to take my car.”
Dougal said the storm was “tragic because the area had a lot of big, beautiful trees,” but that cleanup was undertaken pretty quickly.
Jayson also called the cleanup efficient. He called the police precinct after he saw the tree across Albemarle, and people were working to clean it up by the afternoon. Residents also did their part.
“We’re in a neighborhood where a lot of people pitch in,” he said.
Cleary, whose windows did not get blown out because he had some open in his house, said that others did have window damage. Still, “it was a bad situation that was really handled well by the city,” he said.
© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2007
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