Homeowners along Lake Ontario bracing for Hurricane Sandy

Posted at: 10/26/2012 4:52 PM | Updated at: 10/26/2012 6:05 PM

Homeowners along the Lake Ontario shoreline are bracing for the worst that Mother Nature has to offer, but she may also have a silver lining.

Hurricane Sandy has killed at least 29 people so far. It’s projected to hit the Atlantic Coast early Tuesday with gale force winds, heavy rain and possible flooding. She’s forecast to spread her fury to Western New York early next week.

Chet Lochman is the owner of Monroe Gutter Cleaning. He says they’ve been getting a lot of calls from customers since the word came out about a Nor’easter headed our way.

Chet Lochman, Monroe Gutter Cleaning, said, “We've gotten a lot of calls from customers that we would normally do in late November because of the storm. They're concerned about the leaves that would cause gutters to overflow and cause water damage to their basement and foundations. Plus new people are calling very concerned about the storm coming up.”

Lochman’s crew was cleaning out gutters in Rush.

Karen McHale, Rush homeowner, said, “They're going to be plugged and the water is not going to be able to get out. And being an old house, it could seep down behind the siding, or the gutters can plug and it pools. With the leaves and everything it makes a mess.”

The Rochester area has the highest concentration of shoreline property owners anywhere along the U.S. side of Lake Ontario and shoreline erosion has always been a hot topic especially during Nor'easters, and in times of high water.

Donna Tijou, homeowner, said, “We surged all the way up to the break wall at times since we've been living here which has been about nine years.”

But in Greece, the lake level is near an historic low going back 50 years. Many south shore homeowners have a wide expanse of beach because the water is so low.News10NBC asked the Beattie Beach Ladies Book Club if they are concerned about high winds and waves from the storm next week.

Marie Riley, homeowner, said, “Because the level of the lake is so low right now, it is much to our advantage. And we're not as concerned as we would be if the level of the lake were higher.”

Diane Reddy, homeowner, said, “Because we have so much beach, I think we're going to be alright. It's certainly going to come up higher than we anticipate, I'm sure. And we're going to have to worry about the wind.”

News10NBC spoke with Dr. Dan Barletta who's been very involved in monitoring the lake levels in Greece. He also lives on the lake and says his neighbor normally has water up to his property and right now, there's 20 feet of beach there.

Lake Ontario is so low because Rochester had a dry summer and the fact that the International St. Lawrence River Board of Control has been releasing more water from Lake Ontario than normal to keep adequate levels down river at Montreal.

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