Governor declares disaster emergency in Suffolk for storm damage, offers $50,000 grants for eligible homeowners

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday declared a disaster emergency for Suffolk and said the state would make grants up to $50,000 available for impacted homeowners after a powerful storm Sunday and Monday dumped more than 9 inches of rain on parts of Long Island's North Shore. 

Hochul also said she would request a federal Emergency Declaration from President Joe Biden, making federal dollars available for cleanup and restoration efforts. Suffolk County officials have encouraged residents to report their storm damage to an online portal on the county's website.

Officials on Thursday said 45 homes sustained major damage from the storm and more than 1,400 were damaged or affected in some way.

In badly hit Head of the Harbor Village, where flooding destroyed the only road providing vehicle access to seven homes along a creek, officials said a planned temporary road across a resident's property could provide some relief. A nearby dam and the road on top of it, located in Brookhaven Town, were also destroyed, exposing acres of black silty pond bottom and severing an important link between the communities of Head of the Harbor and Stony Brook.

"We are hoping the upper levels of government can bring FEMA and the Corps here," said Head of the Harbor Mayor Michael Utevsky, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

In a news release, Hochul said state officials were "working around the clock to ensure that impacted residents and municipalities are able to rebuild after this devastating flooding event ... I am committed to supporting Long Island throughout the recovery process." 

Local, state and federal officials, including representatives of the Army Corps of Engineers, toured the destroyed dams in Blydenburgh County Park and under Stony Brook’s Harbor Road Friday to assess the situation.

New York’s U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand plan to send a joint letter to FEMA over the weekend to anticipate Suffolk’s need for aid, representatives for the lawmakers said. The senators also sent a letter last Tuesday. 

"My office worked to organize the meeting today to ensure the federal agencies that can most help us turn the page, and get the help we need, are front and center and seeing the impact of the storm directly," Schumer said in a statement.

A spokesperson for FEMA, Kate Macedo, said the state had not yet formally submitted a request for federal assistance. "Should that change, FEMA in conjunction with the state and local officials will conduct joint preliminary damage assessments to determine if the damage was of such severity that it is beyond the combined capabilities of state and local governments to respond," Macedo said. A Corps spokesman said that agency was monitoring the situation. 

Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine on Friday said the governor's disaster declaration was a good first step. "The governor just waved the green flag and we’re off to the races to help as many of our residents as possible," he said. "I hope the president takes this as seriously as the governor did."

Residents of Head of the Harbor's destroyed Mill Creek Road said Friday some of their neighbors were using wagons pulled by hand to bring supplies to their houses. Utevsky said the village was working on "emergency triage" for its roads after the storm.

A temporary access road from nearby Emmet Drive, topped at first by crushed stone, could be built in a day or two by Smithtown Highway Department workers and awaits only legal agreement between the municipalities and a resident who has offered the use of part of his property for the road, he said. That will bring access to the homes for emergency services and essential deliveries like home heating oil.

But years of storm runoff speeding down the village's steep hills have undermined up to 80% of its roads, a gradual deterioration accelerated by last week's storm, said Frank Prinzevalli, head of highway operations for the village. The village continues to install storm drains and curbs at trouble spots and encourages residents to use plantings rather than lawns or impervious surfaces, which contribute to runoff, the officials said.

Some North Shore residents said they would likely apply for the grants announced Friday by the governor's office. Part of a New York Homes and Community Renewal program, the grants are intended to fund repairs not covered by insurance or other disaster relief programs.

In Rocky Point, Karen Sinda said she needs electrical and other work, but her insurance company has already denied a claim for her flooded basement. "There are some immediate out-of-pocket expenses that we really need to lay out," she said. "This isn't about choosing a paint color. We’re talking major arteries of the house. Whether someone's going to help us with that or not, it still needs to be done." She estimated the repairs could cost tens of thousands of dollars. 

In Stony Brook, Ron Borgese said the grant program could be the first good news he's had since floodwaters tore through the house he and his wife had only recently bought. "Everything is gone," and an insurance adjuster told him he didn't have flood insurance, he said. Some of his belongings may have been pulled into the Mill Creek by floodwaters.

Gloria Rocchio, president of the Ward Melville Heritage Organization, said community members assisting with cleanup this week had found fitness equipment, a riding mower and a large wedding photograph in the creek.

Volunteer Dyanna Walters, co-owner of Stony Brook Harbor Kayak & Paddleboard Rentals, said they had also found more than 50 giant carp, some weighing more than 20 pounds, that died after being swept from the freshwater pond into the brackish creek when the dam broke. The fish appeared to have been removed Friday, but Rocchio said there was other damage yet to be fully assessed.

That includes damage to a performance space, The Jazz Loft, to the Long Island Museum and to the 18th-century Thompson House, where she feared hardwood floors were starting to buckle after sitting under a foot of water.

Resident Dan Dresch said he and his neighbors felt lucky the storm occurred during the summer and were hopeful that the authorities would fix their road. "The kids are going to be going back to school soon. Cold weather is going to come," Dresch said. 

With John Asbury