Storm, high tide take toll on South Shore — again

The second powerful storm in less than a week left Fire Island and communities near Long Island's South Shore reeling Saturday from another round of coastal flooding.

The worst of the rain and wind from the quick-moving overnight storm had passed by midday, but storm-driven high tides left some streets inundated for the second time in a matter of days, catching some residents by surprise and sparking frustration among local officials.

Freeport Village Mayor Robert Kennedy said it was a tough week.

“This one was worse than the last one,” Kennedy said Saturday of the storm, noting that many streets south of Atlantic Avenue were underwater after the morning’s high tide. “Residents are just tired of it and concerned that nothing is being done and I agree with them.” 

South Shore communities also had borne the brunt of a powerful rainstorm and gusty winds Tuesday night. Friday night into Saturday, there were up to 2 more inches of rain in some places.

Nassau and Suffolk police departments reported no injuries as a result of the latest storm, but the Miller Place Fire Department rescued the driver of an SUV after it got stuck in high water on Harbor Beach Road around noon Saturday, officials said.

Next to come: A cold snap, with lows in the low 20s expected Sunday night, highs reaching only 32 on Monday, and light snow likely Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Federal review of ravaged areas

Meanwhile, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Saturday announced an expedited review for storm-ravaged areas along the South Shore. Four Army Corps projects were identified as severely damaged in storms this month and in December: Fire Island Inlet to Moriches Inlet; west of Shinnecock Inlet; Fire Island Inlet and westerly shores; and downtown Montauk.

“We’re committed to working with our partners at the federal, state, and local levels to determine the best path forward for helping to mitigate coastal storm damage for the residents of these communities," said Col. Alex Young, Army Corps commander for the New York district, in a statement.

James Tomasini, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Upton, said strong southerly winds had forced water to inundate South Shore coastal areas Saturday but that no added flooding was expected with high tides Saturday night. 

On Saturday morning before high tide, some Long Islanders scrambled to move their vehicles to dry ground, while for others, it was too late.

At the Nautical Mile in Freeport, Britney Laureano, 22, of Uniondale, trekked through flooded blocks after work and found her car submerged nearly to its license plate. Not wanting to risk driving away, Laureano chose to wait out high tide instead.

“I'm scared to move my car,” she said. “I want to go home.”

In Patchogue, at Mascot Dock at the end of South Ocean Avenue, the sun began to peek through clouds Saturday morning after the storm passed — but the rising tide quickly began to send water up the street and into areas near Shorefront Park. Several streets were soon transformed into rivers, and roads around the park were closed into late afternoon.

In Babylon Town, Supervisor Richard Schaffer said, water hadn't cleared out on some of the roads south of Montauk Highway. 

As of 8:15 p.m. Saturday, there were 29 outages Islandwide affecting 397 customers, according to PSEG Long Island.

Flooding at the Long Island Rail Road's Island Park station temporarily shuttered service on the Long Beach branch between Long Beach and Valley Stream on Saturday morning after 10, but it had resumed by midafternoon. 

'Precarious' state on Fire Island

Floodwaters appeared again Saturday on Fire Island after Tuesday's storm caused erosion and two new breaches. Suzy Goldhirsch, president of the Fire Island Association, said, “It’s not good, but on the other hand, it’s not as bad as it was a few days ago.”

“The island is really in a precarious, vulnerable state,” Goldhirsch said.

Henry Robin, president of Fire Island Pines Property Owners Association, said Saturday that he is “terrified” about what the recent storms have done to that shoreline.

“After the last storm we’ve lost so much beach and dune that you have less protection. … On the west end of the pines, the beach is flat, there is no remaining dune or berm at all. It looks the way it looks after Sandy," Robin said. 

Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin said the storm knocked down half a dozen trees while stripping away roughly 15 to 20 feet of the shoreline from Point Lookout to Lido Beach West. 

The financial toll of the damage still has to be assessed, he said. 

Residents and workers in some areas were stunned at how fast the water rose Saturday. 

On South Ocean Avenue in Patchogue Village, Kevin Castro stepped outside South Ocean Grill where he works as a sous-chef. “This is scary,” he said. 

Castro, 39, said he was concerned by the rate of flooding even after the recent completion of a living shoreline project to replace a deteriorated bulkhead along the Great South Bay.

Saturday's storm also hit Montauk-area state parks hard, according to George Gorman, regional director of state parks on Long Island. "It is significant out there. We are seeing erosion to the dunes at Hither Hills and Montauk Point state parks,” he said.

Looking ahead, Sunday will be mostly sunny with a high of 41, but there could be scattered snow showers and squalls, with temperatures dipping to 20 at night. Monday was expected to be partly sunny and cold.

As for Tuesday: Light snow is likely, mainly before 1 p.m., with an accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.