A letter from the Historical Society

Seaford Historical Society to Aid "Sandy" Victims

In the wake of the recent storms, hundreds of Seaford Harbor residents were driven from their homes; many are as yet unable to return.
While many precious possessions were lost or damaged, it's materials to help make their homes reasonably habitable that are among their immediate needs.
The Seaford Historical Society plans to lend a considerable hand by raising funds to purchase gift cards for home-damaged Seafordites.

Welcome to "Aunt Barbara's Tupperware Party!"

Aunt Barbara's parties always combine "laugh-til-it-hurts" hilarity with a most informative presentation of the latest products from Tupperware.
Since just about everyone could use a Tupperware product now and then (i.e., many Seaford and Wantagh fisherman use their containers to store bait), do plan to attend.

Aunt Barbara's Tupperware Party:
Fundraiser produced by Seaford Historical Society
Wednesday, December 5th, 7:00 PM
Admission fee - $ 15.00
Raffles, 50/50

Refreshments will be served

For details/order tickets thru PayPal:   visit www.seafordhistoricalsociety.org  and click the Events tab.

Or contact us at seafordhistoric@optonline.net

Or call Carla at 826-7642

If you are unable to attend but want to help please consider sending a donation to Seaford Historical Society, PO Box 1254, Seaford  11783   (put “Sandy” on memo line)

Not appropriate for children

On the Bay, part two, after Sandy

This afternoon, 11.25.2012, Newsday's website displayed an article that will probably be in tomorrow's print edition.  The title is "Few bay houses left standing after Sandy."
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A small section of the article reads:

Baymen first built houses out here generations ago, not as primary residences but as bases of operation to harvest salt hay and shellfish. Their descendants battled the insults of nature, municipal ill will and even a spate of arson to keep them. Some were still used by working baymen; some were weekend retreats for families who no longer made a living on the water.

But superstorm Sandy did worse in a matter of hours than had been done in the past century, destroying at least 18 houses, seriously damaging two and leaving 10 intact, according to folklorist Nancy Solomon, who has written about the houses and surveyed them last week. 
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For Nancy Solomon's presentation to the Seaford Historical Society a year ago, please click here.

All Seaford, NY, schools open

On Tuesday, November 13, 2012, all Seaford public schools are open on the usual schedule.  This includes the Seaford Harbor elementary school.  Please see the official notice linked here.

Veterans' Day, 2012

The Seaford American Legion Post deservedly honored veterans today at their post on Penatiquit Avenue. Many thanks and and much honor to those who served their country.  May they be well.

November 12 -- Massapequa Libraries are open

Both Massapequa libraries (Central Avenue and Bar Harbour) will be open on Monday, November 12, 2012, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.  Many thanks to the Massapequa taxpayers, the employees, and the library board of trustees!  It is a thoughtful move, as many people still lack electric power.

Presidential election results in Seaford, 2012

Newsday's website published an excellent map of the 2012 presidential results in Nassau and Suffolk counties.  The following analysis of the election districts in Seaford is based on the unofficial totals on that map.  Generally speaking, I used the boundaries of the Seaford post office to decide which ED's were in Seaford. An extra street or two in Wantagh was included, and I omitted the irregularly-shaped wedge of the Seaford post office district north of the Southern State Parkway because that ED included a larger section of Island Trees.  The first column shows the ED number and a hint of its location.  The second column shows the number of votes for Barack Obama, the third column for Mitt Romney.

	Obama	Romney
107 near Seamans Neck Pk	217	445
103 Paddock, Stirrup	163	306
104 Wilbourne, Hickory, Brook La	183	338
105 Our Savior, Pathmark, Librar	154	232
102 Hilaire Way	129	230
101 Maple Ave, Roanoke	161	333
100 Pine, Spruce South of Merrick	213	412
106 Narragansett Ave	72	116
99 Larch, Austin, Spruce	79	112
30 Hudson Ave	234	440
29 east of Washington Ave	162	310
31 near Seaford HS	183	311
32 Roth Road incl. P. King	244	408
25 Arthur Ave	177	232
23 Crestline Place, Daleview Ave	162	229
24 Bernice Rd, Day St	151	221

The total votes cast in Seaford were 7,359.  I have not found the number of eligible voters residing in Seaford, but the resident figure seems to be about 15,200.
Mitt Romney won about 63.5% of the Seaford vote.  Utah, Wyoming, Oklahoma, and Idaho gave him higher percents.
Barack Obama won about 36.4% of the Seaford vote.

From David Denenberg

From David Denenberg's office, 4:45 p.m., Wednesday, November 7, 2012.

Areas south of Merrick Road in the Town of Hempstead are being told to evacuate. Please pass this on to your neighbors.

The following locations for residents to take shelter are open:

• Nassau Community College, Building P
• Levittown Memorial High School, 150 Abbey Lane
• Plainview-Old Bethpage Middle School – 121 Central Park Rd in
• Farmingdale High School – 150 Lincoln Street
• Glen Cove High School – 150 Dosoris Lane
• New Hyde Park High School - 500 Leonard Blvd
• North Shore Temple - 83 Muttontown Road in Syosset

Jessica Tauber

Legislative Aide to:

Dave Denenberg

District 19

(516) 571-6219

jtauber@nassaucountyny.gov

http://www.facebook.com/dave.denenberg.3

https://twitter.com/DaveDenenberg

Sandy and Seaford creeks

Hurricane Sandy pummeled the south shore of Long Island with wind, tide, and rain. Damage extended across the island and hurt many people in their lives, with deaths and damaged homes.  In this post, I choose to look at a more limited topic, how the three north-south creeks in Seaford rose with the run-off, tide, and wind. I wish I had more facts to present, but I did not go out exploring during the storm. This narrative will probably contain errors.  I appreciate corrections and further explanations.
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Cedar Creek flows between Fir and Larch Streets.  I am quite certain it forms the western limit of the Seaford School District.  It emerges south of Merrick Road in Cedar Creek Park and flows into East Bay.  The dip in Merrick Road is quite obvious here, and on Tuesday it seemed to have pooled atop Merrick Road. Some residual debris was noticeable on Merrick Road near Willow Street, but I don't know whether it came from Cedar Creek's backup or some other source.
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It seems that a section of Seamans Creek was channeled by the construction of NY 135, as a 1903 map shows it beginning at a pond north of DeMott Avenue, almost at the water company property. Seaman's Creek runs along the west side of NY 134, under the railroad and Sunrise Highway, reappearing northwest of Brook Lane's cul-de-sac.  The creek goes under Alan Path, lingers west and north of Natalie Boulevard (where the 1903 map shows a larger pond), and passes under Woodward Avenue.  Some hours before the storm, the water had already risen to the height of adjacent lawns.  Overnight and later, I am told it closed Waverly Avenue. As far as I can determine, this closure on Waverly Avenue, just east of the NY 135 bridge, was the northernmost flooded road in Seaford, about 5.2 miles from the Atlantic Ocean.  That is, the wind-driven high tide had caused the level of Seamans Creek to cover Waverly Avenue there.
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Seaford Creek, the longest of Seaford's creeks, forms the border between the Town of Hempstead and that of Oyster Bay, a border which dates back to the mid-1600's and the era of Tackapausha.  It seems to form about Jerusalem Avenue and the north end of Tackapausha Preserve, flowing through the preserve to the lake at Merrick Road and then with waterside homes south of Merrick Road.  Early Monday afternoon, it overflowed two eastbound lanes of Merrick  east of Townsend Court.  As the "puddle" grew, police forbade traffic.  I think I can safely say that the puddle increased from south to north, showing that this was the effect of tide, not yet a heavy run-off from the lake.
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A friend pointed out that the height of a wind-driven tidal surge rises in narrow confines. That may explain why the canals of south Seaford rose to cover streets and to damage basements and ground floors of  homes.  

Election Day in Seaford

A few hours before the Election Day voting was scheduled to begin, I checked Newsday's list of changed polling places.  The only change in Seaford is quite inconvenient: from 1100 Crestline Place (the BOCES Seaman Neck School) to St. James church at 80 Hicksville Road, more than two miles north. Both locations have Seaford post office addresses, but the Crestline Place address is near North Wantagh Park and is inside the Levittown school district. St. James church is the northernmost tip of the delivery zone of the Seaford post office.  The extraordinary mileage of this move made me question the report, but the move is also reported on the website of the Nassau County Board of Elections.  To magnify the fine print on that website, one can hold down Control and hit the Plus key.
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At the Seaford Harbor School, auxiliary generators supplied power for a string of lights over the tables and voting booths and for the scanners.  About 11 a.m., many were voting here.  The students, it seems, were attending class at the other elementary school, Seaford Manor.  Trucks from the Town of Hempstead were removing roadside debris, carpets and furniture from homes and businesses near the canals.  Several homes had large dumpsters in the driveways.
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I think most of Seaford is in the 14th Assembly District.  Three election districts of this A.D. vote at the Seaford Fire House.  A friend told me that the line was long at 6:10 a.m.  When I voted about 9:45 a.m., I was the 114th or 115th person in my E.D., which I think counts about 800 registered voters.  The turnout of eligible voters interests me.  In 2008, New York State had a turnout of about 58% of eligible voters, while the national turnout was about 62%.

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Also about  1 p.m. today, 44 cars were lined northbound on Seamans Neck Road for $4.09 gasoline at Citgo, and 34 were lined on Jackson Avenue for $4.49 gasoline at BP.  County police have been present at gas station lines.  The shortage is one effect of hurricane Sandy, as tankers could not enter the harbor.

Tuesday: 3 Seaford schools reopen

Please go to this link for more exact information.  It appears that the Seaford public school staff will meet today, but that the students will return tomorrow, Tuesday, Election Day.  The major problem is the Seaford Harbor School, whose students may be accommodated Tuesday at the Seaford Manor School.  However, please read the link, lest my interpretation is wrong.