News 12 | Long Island

Freezing temperatures are being blamed for another water main break on Long Island, this time in Oceanside.

Neighbors woke up Sunday morning to icy streets and sidewalks after the break flooded Waukena Avenue and nearby roads before freezing over. The break occurred around 1 a.m., sending water rushing down the street as temperatures fell below 10 degrees. By morning, large sections of the roadway had frozen, creating hazardous conditions for residents.

“It literally looked like Hurricane Sandy again. Water covered the whole street,” Oceanside resident Kim Clarke said. “I said I’m glad I’m not going anywhere today. I’m going to watch the Super Bowl.”

Liberty Water said the break affected about 25 customers. Clarke said her tap water appeared brown later that morning.

“The water pressure was OK, but it was disgusting,” she said.

Salt trucks were called in as water continued to spread and freeze. Neighbors said the ice stretched as far as Fifth Street.

“The water main broke two blocks down. All the water came flying this way and froze over,” resident Brian Forkos said.

Forkos said he spent more than two hours clearing ice from in front of his home.

“It was thick, but as the day started heating up, it started to melt a little,” he said. “They were out dropping salt and sand in the street. It was a good workout for the morning, I’ll tell you that.”

This is the 11th water main break News 12 has been made aware of this year and the second in Oceanside.

“It’s a little disheartening because you would hope the infrastructure would be in place to put up a good fight, but things break,” Clarke said.

Liberty said water pressure was restored to all customers around 2:30 p.m.Freezing temperatures are being blamed for another water main break on Long Island, this time in Oceanside.

Neighbors woke up Sunday morning to icy streets and sidewalks after the break flooded Waukena Avenue and nearby roads before freezing over. The break occurred around 1 a.m., sending water rushing down the street as temperatures fell below 10 degrees. By morning, large sections of the roadway had frozen, creating hazardous conditions for residents.

“It literally looked like Hurricane Sandy again. Water covered the whole street,” Oceanside resident Kim Clarke said. “I said I’m glad I’m not going anywhere today. I’m going to watch the Super Bowl.”

Liberty Water said the break affected about 25 customers. Clarke said her tap water appeared brown later that morning.

“The water pressure was OK, but it was disgusting,” she said.

Salt trucks were called in as water continued to spread and freeze. Neighbors said the ice stretched as far as Fifth Street.

“The water main broke two blocks down. All the water came flying this way and froze over,” resident Brian Forkos said.

Forkos said he spent more than two hours clearing ice from in front of his home.

“It was thick, but as the day started heating up, it started to melt a little,” he said. “They were out dropping salt and sand in the street. It was a good workout for the morning, I’ll tell you that.”

This is the 11th water main break News 12 has been made aware of this year and the second in Oceanside.

“It’s a little disheartening because you would hope the infrastructure would be in place to put up a good fight, but things break,” Clarke said.

Liberty said water pressure was restored to all customers around 2:30 p.m.