Fire Island to get emergency federal funds to repair recent storm damage

 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Friday issued an emergency declaration for eastern Fire Island to unlock federal funding that can be used to mitigate recent storm damage, federal and state officials said.

The declaration lets the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers begin an expedited evaluation of repairs that are needed on that part of the barrier island, according to announcements from Gov. Kathy Hochul, and New York Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

No figures are set yet for how much federal money will be allocated, according to Schumer's office. The declaration serves as a first step to accessing the emergency funds.

Gillibrand said in a statement that restoring Long Island's South Shore is a top priority.

“I will keep fighting to help secure the federal assistance communities need,” she said.

Army Corps of Engineers spokesman James D'Ambrosio said Friday the Army Corps can now complete a report evaluating the damage to allow the agency to apply for emergency federal funding.

Two January storms, on the heels of a mid-December storm, unleashed a wave of damage along the Atlantic Ocean coastline. On Fire Island, there were two ocean breaches — one at Robbins Rest and one in Fire Island Pines — after the first storm, Suffolk officials said at the time.

As separate events, the storms individually didn't reach the threshold of damage to unlock emergency funds, according to Schumer's office, which said an aggregation of the combined storm damage was able to do so.

The eastern portion of Fire Island sustained “major dune and berm erosion,” Schumer said in a statement Friday.

“Time is of the essence on Fire Island and immediate repairs are needed to minimize the risk to public safety, safeguard property and important infrastructure, and shield essential local government assets,” the statement added.

Hochul said in a statement she's committed to working with the Army Corps to “immediately begin repairs on eastern Fire Island.”

Tom Ruskin, president of the Seaview Association, a homeowners group on Fire Island, called the news a "major victory" and urged the Army Corps to expedite its process to begin repairs.

Brookhaven Councilman Neil Foley, who represents Fire Island, said the Fire Island Pines community currently "is the most vulnerable" after losing large sections of dunes.

"We have no protection for most of the communities so anything that we can get would be greatly appreciated," he said.

Henry Robin, president of Fire Island Pines Property Owners' Association, said “time is of the essence” to begin repairs.

The damage from recent storms also hit areas on the East End — such as Ditch Plains in Montauk — particularly hard.

Separately, the Army Corps began mobilizing farther west in Montauk earlier this month to start a previously announced $11.2 million project to dredge 450,000 cubic yards of offshore sand that will be used to replenish the ocean beachfront that runs parallel to South Emerson Avenue.

East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez wrote a Jan. 24 letter to the state Department of Environmental Conservation asking the Army Corps to begin repairs first on the sandbags damaged or lost in the recent storms. The agency installed 14,000 bags in late 2015 as part an emergency stabilization after Superstorm Sandy.

She said those bags were meant to reinforce the area prior to the larger replenishment project.

By Joe Werkmeister

joe.werkmeister@newsday.com

Joe Werkmeister covers the towns of Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.

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