Fire Island erosion concerns become more severe after coastal storm

Fire Island lost double the amount of sand during Monday's coastal storm than it had in the whole previous year, Brookhaven Town officials said as they sounded the alarm about beach erosion on the barrier island.

For example, the Fire Island Pines community lost 50 to 60 feet of width on the dunes and almost all of the protective barrier's height, Michelle DiBrita, the deputy commissioner of planning, environment and land management, told town board members during a meeting on Tuesday.

Fire Island's PSEG substation is also “dangerously close” to falling into the bay because of the eroded beaches, putting the entire community at risk of a blackout, DiBrita warned.

In a statement, PSEG Long Island said it is “developing an immediate response to secure the substation while we are working on mid-term and long-term solutions.”

The storm also washed away several accessible beach ramps, dune fencing and some crossovers, which bring people from the mainland onto the shore, officials said.

“What has become abundantly clear is that some of these homes, especially at the Pines, are about five feet from where the water is coming up to now,” DiBrita said, adding that conditions are similar in most areas of Fire Island. “So they have very little, if any, protection going forward.”

The erosion is so severe that emergency service vehicles can no longer travel on the beaches during high tide on Fire Island, which has no roads.

“If you can't use the beach, emergency response is going to be delayed and there are going to be further problems,” said Brookhaven Town Supervisor and incoming Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, who said the erosion could lead to inlet breaches that would eventually threaten Long Island's mainland. “This is a major, major issue for the existence of Fire Island.”

Councilman Neil Foley, who represents Fire Island, said it's already nearly impossible to fight a fire there in the winter.

“There is no more room to fool around and no more time,” Foley said.

There were also several reported breaches, where the ocean penetrates the island and makes it through to the bay, officials said.

Thomas Ruskin, president of the Seaview Fire Island Association, said the damage is putting the entire community at risk.

“The dunes are the protection for the residents and our thoroughfare for first responders,” said Ruskin, who is calling for the governor to declare a state of emergency to replenish the beaches. “First responders can't get down the beach because of debris … and because there's no beach left.”

James D’Ambrosio, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said officials will conduct an analysis of the damage from Monday's storm to determine if it qualifies as “extraordinary” and is therefore eligible for emergency assistance.

“The analysis will be completed in January,” D’Ambrosio said. “We will also perform site inspections of current beach conditions as part of our latest assessment.”

Last week, the Army Corps agreed to reconsider an earlier decision not to replenish the Fire Island shoreline. The move came amid pressure from state and federal officials, along with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, which warned the Long Island shorefront could be “susceptible to catastrophic failure” if not immediately repaired.

In October, the corps rejected a request from Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand to undertake a massive emergency sand replenishment project to repair damaged shoreline in Davis Park, Fire Island Pines and other shorefront areas, arguing the areas did not meet minimum eligibility requirements.

With Carl MacGowan

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.