Head of the Harbor storm damage is roughly $1 million, village officials say

Head of the Harbor is facing about $1 million in damages from an August storm that will require extensive repairs to its streets and sidewalks, and prompted the village to issue an evacuation order for seven homeowners, village officials said. 

Much of the damage is to roads and sidewalks, chiefly Mill Creek Road — a privately owned road where several residents live. Sidewalks around parts of the village sustained significant damage as well, according to Mayor Michael Utevsky. 

The Aug. 18-19 storm dropped more than 10 inches of rain over areas of the North Shore of Suffolk County. Since then, the village has laid approximately 250 tons of riprap along several sidewalks that sustained flood damage, village engineer Daniel Falasco told trustees at a Sept. 18 meeting. 

As he drove around the village last week and stopped near the extension of Hitherbrook Road, Utevsky took stock of the damage during a tour with Newsday.

"This was historically one of the public access points to [Stony Brook] Harbor," Utevsky said as he stood near the road. "It was a total washout. ... It's random. There were places that were untouched and then you have this random damage here."

The village police department called for Mill Creek Road residents to evacuate "immediately," Newsday reported on Friday. The evacuation order affected seven property owners. Mill Creek Road is the only road that leads into the narrow hillside neighborhood and was badly eroded during the storm. The storm washed away pieces of asphalt to the road that connects to Harbor Road. Emergency vehicles are unable to pass.

Officials plan to build a temporary road near Mill Creek, which could range in cost from $250,000 to $300,000, according to Head of the Harbor officials. The Smithtown Town Board approved an agreement allowing the town’s highway crews to come in and build a temporary road on the opposite side of Mill Creek Road. This way, Mill Creek Road residents will be able to drive to and from their homes.

On Mill Creek Road, residents can only walk to and from their homes on the road.

"If there were a fire, if someone was in need of an ambulance, they couldn’t be reached," said Utevsky, who took office earlier this year. "It’s a serious situation where the residents are in jeopardy, and we’re doing the best we can to put together the necessary agreements to build a temporary road."

Riprap fix

By laying down the riprap, village officials hope to prevent gullies from forming along sidewalks.

Riprap is a rocky material normally used along shorelines to prevent erosion or scour, which occurs when water erodes sediments around the foundation of roads, bridges, or other structures.

As he drove by one of the village sidewalks on the way to Mill Creek Road, Utevsky pointed to the riprap — essentially, piled-up stones. 

"It's an extraordinary amount of stones we've had to use because of this huge washout," Utevsky said. 

Village officials are still finalizing damage estimates before they submit reimbursement claims to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Village officials say to prevent future flood damage, more catch basins and other measures are needed.

Officials are also assessing safety and traffic issues. They are looking to install fencing on Harbor Road and Mill Creek Road, Village Police Chief Charles Lohmann said. Some people have stopped to look at the road's extensive damage, drawing safety concerns.

Head of the Harbor has seen a spike in traffic on nearby roads such as Rhododendron Drive because of Harbor Road’s closure. The village plans to install traffic speed signs, Lohmann said.

'Nobody would accept it'

Several Mill Creek Road residents showed up at the village board of trustees’ regular meeting last week in search of answers. 

Dan Dresch, one of the residents, asked the village for a timeline. He told Newsday after the meeting that neighbors on the street had become frustrated.

"Thirty-one days ... nobody would accept it," Dresch said.

Stefani Seals, who lives on Harbor Road, called for a swift solution.

"The amount of time that my neighbors have to walk to and from wherever they are able to get their car is a long way in the middle of the night when it’s dark," Seals told the board last week. "There’s no lights ... we don’t know when our mail is coming, we don’t know when garbage [collection] is coming."

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed the village's efforts to install a fence at the intersection of Harbor and Mill Creek roads to Town Councilman Tom Lohmann.