9 Horton Ave. families file flood lawsuit

Nine Horton Avenue families who lost their homes to record floods more than a year ago have sued Riverhead Town and Suffolk County, claiming the defendants negligently installed catch basins and an inadequate drainage system that resulted in the flooding.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in State Supreme Court in Riverhead, charges that the town and county should have known that the low-lying area was prone to flooding and should have never issued building permits on the land.

Town officials said Monday that they had not yet been served, and could not comment on the lawsuit until they had a chance to read it.

When Central Islip attorney J. Stewart Moore filed a notice of claim against the town four weeks ago -- the legal notice that a lawsuit was going to be filed -- he charged that the drainage systems in the area were "defective and unrepaired," despite complaints dating to the 1960s.

Town and federal officials had hoped that federal emergency funds could be found to help the Horton Avenue homeowners, but the neighborhood did not meet federal standards for aid. Town officials are still hoping that state emergency funds can be found to assist the families affected.