Win for residents, officials who worked together

Victims became victors as word came down of the federal government's reversal of an earlier decision to deny "disaster area" status to Suffolk County.

That victory didn't just change the prospects of residents of Horton Avenue in Riverhead. The designation could help other communities hard-hit in Suffolk too.

"It shows that a neighborhood and their elected officials can work together and accomplish great things," said Shirley Coverdale, a board member of the social-justice group Long Island Organizing Network, which stood behind Horton Avenue residents early on.

"Here, we managed to build an effective coalition that crossed government and political lines," she said. "It worked."

The fight isn't over for Horton Avenue residents. Ahead lies a push for enough federal "mitigation" and other funds to help fix or relocate homes left uninhabitable by a March storm.

Still, it's worth a look at Horton Avenue's fight, and how the efforts of a tightly organized group of residents in one neighborhood mushroomed into a coalition mighty enough to make Washington move.

Remember: In the days and weeks after the storm of March 29 and 30, conventional wisdom was that Suffolk had suffered too little damage - although sections of every town and village were hit - to qualify for disaster relief for the second of two storms that month.

Elected officials and state bureaucrats said as much publicly, and privately. The notion was so ingrained that the state of New York initially didn't even ask the federal government for the designation.

That changed.

And it did so, in large part, after neighborhood residents - backed by LION - pulled together representatives from every level of government, from local and multiple towns to state, county and federal agencies for a May 8 public meeting.

For the first time, one thing became clear: Horton Avenue, although it was the most severely damaged area in the county, was not alone. Portions of Shelter Island were also underwater, and so were parts of Southampton, Brookhaven, Smithtown, Babylon and other communities.

There were other forces at work, too.

Horton Avenue residents were meeting weekly at Riverhead First Baptist Church. And, when the weather got warmer, in the front yard of one resident, Linda Hobson, who would become their spokeswoman.

They helped each other with everything from clothing to shelter, winning the support of businesses, churches, schools and residents from across Long Island. Among the many helping out: local Republican and Democratic parties, the H2M engineering firm, and Blackman Plumbing, which, among other things, helped with boilers.

Meanwhile, there was ongoing - and totally amateur - research about the storm at Coverdale's dining room table. During one Internet search, she discovered an article and a map from the National Weather Service that showed Suffolk was among the areas taking the brunt of the storm.

A printout of that map went to the office of county Legis. Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches), who distributed it to other officials. Eventually, some of the same information found its way into the state's appeal, which was championed by Rep. Tim Bishop (D-Southampton). The residents were helped by an array of elected officials, from town board members, County Executive Steve Levy and state Assemb. Marc Alessi (D-Wading River), to Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) and Democratic Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

Residents drafted letters to President Barack Obama, and to the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, begging for action.

Saturday was a big step forward.

"We were supposed to fall through the cracks, Horton Avenue and Suffolk County," Hobson said. "What's happened since then - this is an amazing thing."

Today, Horton Avenue lives. Because it refused to die.