Surveying the Damage in Dumbo

Most of the Dumbo neighborhood, nestled between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges in Brooklyn, is situated in low-lying areas. Its primary artery is Main Street, where shops and restaurants sit at the entrance to Brooklyn Bridge Park. The majority of this area is located in evacuation Zone A, so while most residents had already left their buildings by the time the devastating hurricane hit last night, most of the businesses and apartments located in these low-lying areas flooded pretty badly.

Main Street remains flooded with about 5-10 inches of water and buildings in the area are without electricity. Power House Books, One Girl Cookies and Bubby’s Brooklyn were all closed due to the massive flooding the businesses endured. The streets of Dumbo are strewn with leaves and trash brought in from the flooded East River. On Plymouth Street, a car that had been parked around the corner floated in flood waters about 10-15 feet. Brooklyn Bridge Park remains closed.

Perhaps because the subways and schools were closed, the streets seemed crowded, especially compared to the eery silence of last night. Neighbors milled around surveying the damage as shop owners and city employees worked to pump water out of the street and clean up from the wrath of Hurricane Sandy.