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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Home away from home
 
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That's too bad - we would have gladly welcomed you to our 'hood :)
This always works out for the best... keep me posted on your search!
Posted on: 2013/5/22 18:57
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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Newbie
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2013/5/20 3:00 Last Login : 2013/12/6 19:26 From Sunnyside,NY
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Update - while we were debating on the flooding issues and still had the attorney review period open, another buyer came in and took the deal away. Our search begins anew, and now we need to really consider the flood factor.
Torn between a house with potential flooding damage and an upper level condo unit that does not offer what a house can offer. Sigh....
Posted on: 2013/5/22 18:39
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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Newbie
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Actually there was sewer flooding during Sandy, I live on the corner of 4th and Monmouth and the water was bubbling up through the grates that night and flooding 5th street. Also between 4th and 5th street there are homes who's sewers flood every major storm, you'll noticed the shit smell is quite prevalent. Now I've lived on 4th and Monmouth for 14 years, in the first 5 years there I saw one t-storm dump enough rain that 5th and monmouth flooded and the flooding reached all the way up Monmouth until it reached 4th street; i took some photos of that because it was so anomalous.
Now in the past 2-3 years I've seen it flood at least 5-6 times, two times were Irene and Sandy. So there are few factors here, either we're getting storms capable of flooding the area more and more, our infrastructure is sub-par(inclined to agree on this one), or too much new construction in our area adding additional apartment units to an already over-utilized sewer system that hasn't been upgraded. Keep in mind that 5th and Monmouth is also only 13 feet above sea level, take into account a basement is going to be 8-10 feet down and you'll be flooded even when the street isn't. Our buildings basement is constantly flooded after small thunderstorms and our basement abuts another house which abuts another and so on. So just because you have a sump in yours doesn't mean your neighbor does and you might be pumping out the water leaking into your basement or getting flooded by other buildings connected to yours. Not to disuade you from looking to the area, it's honestly a great neighborhood, you just will need to be ready to deal with the occasional flooding. Quote: My take on the info given in the OP is that the property experienced rainwater flooding in Irene, a big rainstorm, but not sewer flooding in Sandy, a surge with little rain. I would actually call that good news. A pump can deal with rainwater much more easily than sewer flooding.
Posted on: 2013/5/21 18:25
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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Home away from home
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Ha, believe me, we waiver from "F this place" to "we love it" every single time it rains :)
Posted on: 2013/5/21 2:27
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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Home away from home
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Quote:
Totally agree. Wish I had it in me to stay. I didn't. I got prime $$ for my property. The people who moved in are a great addition to the neighborhood and appreciate the work I did and I sold it knowing I didn't flood. I protected my family but didn't have it in me to try again the next storm that comes my way. I have another kid on the way, it was too much. But loved the people, the 'hood and the potential of the 'hood started happening just as we sold. And not gonna lie, the corruption in the city and what I paid in taxes pissed me off.
Posted on: 2013/5/21 2:20
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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Home away from home
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I've posted enough of our flooding hardships and OP, you and I spoke this afternoon. PathH8Ter's words could have been my own.... People definitely need to be prepared for some work, money and problem solving living in downtown JC.
That being said, I absolutely love it here, floating basement furniture and all. I can't imagine being anywhere else, and for those reasons, we suck it up every time and spend more time, money and emotion cleaning up and mitigating water problems. And when I read stories like Oklahoma and the tornado, I feel less and less right to bitch :)
Posted on: 2013/5/21 2:14
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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Home away from home
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Doesn't it mirror the new FEMA flood map? I thought someone posted the FEMA map a while ago but can't find it again.
Posted on: 2013/5/21 2:13
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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Home away from home
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Quote:
Agreed Brewster. That map is bullsh*t.
Posted on: 2013/5/21 2:07
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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Home away from home
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Quote:
I wish I knew where this inaccurate data is coming from. I can't speak for anywhere else, but 7th & Coles did not have street flooding. Sewer, sure. But it didn't rise into the streets. I know there's a way to mashup googlemaps with an online poll to outline an actual floodmap on an intersection by intersection basis, but I'm not techie enough for it. But this bad data will most likely have very bad repercussions for us.
Posted on: 2013/5/21 1:57
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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Home away from home
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Refer to the actual flooding map for the best info:
http://project.wnyc.org/flooding-sandy-new/#15.00/40.7208/-74.0446 Anything in the blue is going to be wet. There are several hill islands that are safer, but anything in downtown is at risk.
Posted on: 2013/5/21 1:31
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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Home away from home
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Quote:
Yes, outside of downtown, and less expensive. If you would like to stay downtown then go for a condo on an upper floor. I lived in a condo on the first floor and I got flooded every time we had a heavy rain fall, it was not as bad as most people on here, I just had to use about 20 towels every time it rained, a fukin nightmare. Good luck!
Posted on: 2013/5/21 0:59
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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Home away from home
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if the place has an unfinished basement with no drywall and the furnaces/water heaters jacked up, you can deal with most of what JC will throw at you. That's not to say it's fun or low stress.
If you don't have an unfinished basement to act as a buffer forget it. It's very difficult to dry things out, much less get them clean. You'll have mold, bacteria, and all sorts of stuff that you don't want to deal with. Trust me, not worth it.
Posted on: 2013/5/21 0:45
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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Home away from home
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Quote:
I agree with moobycow. We did everything properly and were okay during both major storms. We lived near the area you are looking to buy. But we spent craploads in overkill flood avoidance, lol, including a generator, sump pump systems, exit piping plans, seasonal maintenance, alarm systems to warn us, troubleshooting when sumps don't work, they aren't perfect and we spent a lot of our time humbled by if we didn't know how to troubleshoot a battery back up system not working, a generator not starting, a sump pipe shifting etc., we'd be in trouble when it counted. It was hard on my wife to see me so distracted by our "systems". Nothing was without work, research, $$$$ for the cost of peace of mind every time it rains. And insurance covered nothing. First floor? Equals basement. Basement? Equals coverage for the bare minimum. Invest in dehumidifiers, triple back up sump systems, generator and don't go away during heavy rains or you may just come home to a failed sump or sewage back up in the tub...sorry to be a downer. I did everything to the obsessed distraction to avoid flooding and it all was worth it. But it came at the price of me never sleeping well during a heavy rain because it was a fight every time, I can't control the sewage system, high tides, full moons, climate change...I gave up, sold and the new people are fantastic, prepared for it, know what they're getting in to - and better yet? Didn't lose years off their life making it Fort Knox. They bought it ready and should never flood if they maintain the systems properly. It pooped me and I travelled too much, have a kid and a dog - it was all too much to think of wife with my child in tow checking all the sumps when I'm gone during the rain season. My neighbors all prepared the same and it pooped them. Three of us moved almost all at the same time....but sold easily, as there are people wanting to move in and like the fact they are moving in to places already with generator & sumps etc. I wish you luck, but please, please, please really consider the level of responsibility you are in for, the stress it may create for your family. I needed garden to let the dog run out and private space for my little one. But moving was the greatest stress lifter.
Posted on: 2013/5/20 23:54
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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Home away from home
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There are parts of DT that don't flood and there are brownstones with unfinished basements that give you a lot more cushion when it floods, so there are options, but it's not easy to find a place where flooding is not a constant worry.
Posted on: 2013/5/20 23:30
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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Newbie
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2013/5/20 3:00 Last Login : 2013/12/6 19:26 From Sunnyside,NY
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Thank you all for the input - I really appreciate it. It looks like dealing with flood / water is part of the package if I want to live in downturn Jersey City (unless I buy a non-ground floor condo unit). Just a quick survey, what is your average annual cost/damage in dealing with water and how much of that was covered by insurance?
Separately, I looked at geology.com and google, and they say different things about the elevation level of various streets in JC. Are there certain parts of the city that does not get water? I would think those properties sell at a premium?
Posted on: 2013/5/20 23:17
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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Home away from home
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I think the fact they put sand bags out for a non-hurricane rain storm is revealing...
What is the ballpark estimate for installing a sump pump? For a generator (and will you have a place to store it)? Do you know if you will be required to buy flood insurance? I find it surprising that they didn't install a sump pump after flooding.
Posted on: 2013/5/20 20:47
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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Just can't stay away
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formalforce I live on that block and just sent you a PM!
Posted on: 2013/5/20 20:22
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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Home away from home
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Quote:
I think the question you need to ask yourself - if you spend the money on a sump system with a battery back up sump (if electricity goes out, you'll want a back up) and many brownstones in downtown are buying generators too - will you still ever feel okay leaving your place for vacations during the rainy seasons? If the answer is no, then perhaps look elsewhere...living and owning regardless of the systems you put in place will have you hoping those systems are working during flood warnings when you aren't there and those 100 year floods are coming more and more frequently. New wood floors don't cup and buckle right away either and don't most places in the DT area have a sump system in place? Isn't that building in DTJC 101? If they haven't, I'd ask yourself if they didn't add one to show the home with more square footage (a basement sump pit these days when developers are having these basements sell as living space would reduce useable square footage) and to let installing a sump pit be your problem. Living here isn't for the weak at heart.
Posted on: 2013/5/20 20:12
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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Home away from home
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My take on the info given in the OP is that the property experienced rainwater flooding in Irene, a big rainstorm, but not sewer flooding in Sandy, a surge with little rain. I would actually call that good news. A pump can deal with rainwater much more easily than sewer flooding.
So if you want to know if the street flooded, go there on a weekend afternoon when people are on the street and ask them. 7th & Monmouth has never flooded, and it's 2 ft higher according to Google Earth. But I don't trust GE anymore since they subtracted 4 ft from my elevation after Sandy. If that were accurate, the street would have flooded being 7ft above sea level and the flooding hit 11.
Posted on: 2013/5/20 20:07
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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Home away from home
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5th and Monmouth is quite a few blocks from the river. I don't think it will get "flooded" (rain or river water), more likely is the sewer will back up. The owners may not know for sure how the water gets in.
By the way, does anyone know if there's any required disclosure for flooding or sewer problems?
Posted on: 2013/5/20 19:27
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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Just can't stay away
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It's not worth it. Don't buy a house with a history of flooding. It will flood again and probably has lots of mold that you can't see.
Posted on: 2013/5/20 19:11
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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Home away from home
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Sending you a PM - look in the lower left of the screen in your inbox.
Posted on: 2013/5/20 16:51
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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Newbie
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Thanks. How bad was the flooding in your area during Irene and Sandy, or any other rainstorms? Can you prevent damage by actively taking certain measures?
The house is to the west of Monmouth and currently it does not have a sump pump in place and the first floor is hardwood. My realtor said this might be a good indicator - that they did not need one. We actually had the viewing on May 9, the day after the rainstorm and everything was fine; however we walked by yesterday when it rained and saw sand bags outside of the house near the crawl space. I just would like to assess if it is the kind of risk that can be mitigated by installing a sump pump, a back-up sump pump, ect. We really like the home, but if the whole street would get flooded during heavy rain or storms, then sump pumps may not help at all? If the situation cannot be remedied by us making efforts to prevent flooding,we want out.
Posted on: 2013/5/20 16:11
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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Home away from home
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I know the house you're referring to. I'd be very concerned about living there because the street level space IS the living/kitchen space. We live further down 5th toward Coles, and in the rainstorm 2 weeks ago, the water got to 2 inches about the sidewalk at that intersection. If it rained that hard for another 15-30 min, I think that house would flood again.
Posted on: 2013/5/20 15:50
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Re: Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Home away from home
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If any par of the home is below ground level, you should prepare for flooding events at least every few years. Sewer backups are a problem as well. The basement at 328 Fifth Street floods regularly, but it is a poorly managed slum.
Posted on: 2013/5/20 15:28
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Flooding 5th & Monmouth - HELP
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Newbie
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My husband and I are considering purchasing a home at 5th St and Monmouth. We are from Queens and are not familiar with the flooding issues here in downtown Jersey City. The seller said that they experienced flooding in Irene and had to replace the hardwood floor and lower section of the walls on the first floor, but they did not experience flooding/damage during Sandy. They said Irene was the only flooding experience they had in the past 7 years.
We'd like to know how bad the situation is around this area, as I saw some posts saying the corner of 5th and Monmouth is low-lying. Do you have to worry about water when it rains heavily, or is it just a once-in-30-years experience type of thing? How do you see it affect your daily life? Your input is highly appreciated.
Posted on: 2013/5/20 15:21
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