Oakwood Beach Homeowners Flooded Out By Sandy Looking Forward To State Buyouts
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - The flooding from superstorm Sandy practically washed one Staten Island neighborhood off the map, and that has many residents anxious to leave for good.
As WCBS 880's Peter Haskell reported, Mother Nature has reclaimed a stretch of Oakwood Beach. The ocean submerged the neighborhood under 16 feet of water.
"This was a beach community. You woke up and listened to the ocean and went to sleep listening to the ocean," homeowner Pedro Correa said. "Children make their own boogeymen. This house, the ocean has become the boogeyman to my children."
Oakwood Beach Homeowners Flooded Out By Sandy Looking Forward To State Buyouts
Manicured lawns have been overtaken by towering weeds, and it's going to stay that way.
Correa is among the homeowners who've agreed to a state buyout.
"It's going to pay off my mortgage and give me enough for a down payment," Correa told Haskell.
He said he'll look for a house more inland.
"I think it's pretty dangerous now to live next to the ocean, for me," he said. "I wake up and think about this nightmare being over. I go to sleep and think about this nightmare being over. That will be the beginning of our new life."
His house was washed away by Sandy. All that remains of it is a concrete slab.
After 47 years in Oakwood Beach, Madeline Fradella is also leaving.
"It's hard decision, but it's an easy decision. There is no decision," she told Haskell. "Because I'm afraid to be here anymore."
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