Woodside -- Congressman Joseph Crowley, Assemblywoman Margaret Markey and New York City Councilman Eric Gioia called on New York City Comptroller William Thompson Jr. to investigate the causes of the severe flooding in Queens.

The August 8th tornado and thunderstorms were unexpected and severe, but this was not the first time certain sections of Queens, such as Woodside, have been hard-hit by residential flooding this year, the officials said.  Crowley, Markey and Gioia have heard from numerous constituents about repeated flooding of their properties and concerns are growing about why this is happening. 

"It is time to determine whether the persistent flooding of certain sections of Queens is simply due to extreme acts by Mother Nature or if the city's infrastructure is, in part, to blame," said Crowley. "That is why we are asking the City Comptroller to spearhead an investigation into this situation and examine all the factors contributing to this problem, including if the rerouting of drainage due to repairs on the BQE in Queens has resulted in flooded homes."

Crowley, Markey and Gioia asked the Comptroller to oversee the investigation because as the city's Chief Financial Officer of the City of New York, he will ultimately be responsible for any liability the city may bear if infrastructure failures are documented and proven to be partly responsible.  The elected officials asked the Comptroller to conduct the investigation in cooperation with the city's Departments of Environmental Protection and Transportation as well as the Office of Emergency Management.