Michael Deak reports at myCentralNewJersey.com that for borough residents and businesses, it was not a question whether there was going to be another flood, but when it was going to happen.

So the only question is: Can they stand the flooding reoccurrence or is it finally time to say goodbye to the borough?

For Ike Hishmeh, owner of Bound Brook Carpet on Main Street, Sunday’s flood was the third major flood in 11 years. But he’s not leaving town.

“This is not going to beat me,” Hishmeh said Sunday morning, as he stood by the front door of the flood-proofed Dunkin Donuts diagonally across from his store. “You knock me down and I’ll get back up.”

Sunday’s flood was about the same as the April 2007 flood, but not as bad as the record Hurricane Floyd in September 1999 where he lost about $600,000 in inventory, Hishmeh said.

Hishmeh said he didn’t yet know how much damage his business sustained in this flood, but did express frustration the Green Brook flood control project has not been completed.

“I hope the politicians who are in office now will be better than the previous politicians,” he said.

Ralph Permahos, who owns the Dunkin Donuts, wasn’t as optimistic.

“Bound Brook is officially dead,” he said. “There are too many nails in the coffin.”

The Dunkin Donuts was built after Floyd to weather floods. There was water inside the store during the 2007 flood, but the store remained dry Sunday morning, said manager Surinder Singh.

Except for the sound of security alarms and the motor of a boat piloted by two officers from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office seeing if anyone needed to be evacuated, Main Street was eerily quiet at about 10:30 a.m. Sunday. Earlier there were more motorboats and people on jet skis where there normally would be cars.

Anthony Pranzatelli, president of the Borough Council and the owner of a Main Street business that has survived floods for decades, said there was two to three feet of water in his electronics store.

Evacuations started at about 11 p.m. Saturday and went smoothly, he said.

Read more at: myCentralNewJersey.com