Government must be nimble in storm response

Less than two weeks after a storm devastated parts of Suffolk County — destroying roads, damaging homes and businesses, wiping out bridges and dams — government officials on both sides of the aisle seem to be working together to get homeowners, business owners, and others the assistance they need. That bipartisan cooperation was on display this week when Gov. Kathy Hochul, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, Rep. Nick LaLota and other local elected officials toured the damage in Stony Brook and Head of the Harbor.

So far, so good. But this welcome display of collaboration must continue after the news conferences are over. Government is not known for being nimble but state and federal officials should work as quickly as possible to put plans in place for disbursing funds and get answers to those affected without delay. A disaster aid session held Tuesday by the Department of Financial Services was a start; more thorough communication will be needed.

The money is unlikely to flow as quickly as the storm's victims wish it would. Many recent examples of aid programs wracked by fraud mean government must be diligent; homeowners and others affected must be patient, within reason. Hochul delivered the necessary state disaster declaration, and President Joe Biden signed the federal emergency order after Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand pushed for it. LaLota has sought additional federal aid and offered assistance to his constituents. Now, state and federal officials must work efficiently to determine whether the disaster meets the federal threshold for individual aid and open up the grant applications for state aid.

As the cleanup continues, the ferocity of the storm and the extent of its damage highlight once again the importance of preparedness. We know these storms will keep coming, at times without proper warning. The devastating floods they unleash could hit anywhere, anytime. By now, it should be clear to homeowners, business owners and elected officials across Long Island that flooding is a threat whether one lives in a flood zone or not. We should do what we can to prepare, including making evacuation plans, especially if we live near a body of water — even if it has never flooded before. Perhaps no one could have predicted the dams would break this time, but extreme weather makes anything possible.

Government officials should take stock of their own preparedness. That starts with making critical infrastructure upgrades now, rather than after a storm hits. On the state level, emergency declarations should be made promptly, and applications for aid should be ready to go. An efficient process should be in place that can be tweaked to fit a particular disaster or a specific community.

All of that requires a flexibility and urgency uncommon to government bureaucracy — but one that's needed now.

The storms won't wait.