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I want to update you once again on the fight to save our beach, and perhaps our homes. The recent storms have decimated much of the area west of Nautilus Walk, jeopardizing our community and rendering much of the island’s east end impassable. Fire trucks, police vehicles, utility companies and other essential services are facing major obstacles in responding to emergencies; we cannot allow that to continue.
We are determined to secure an emergency beach replenishment project from the US Army Corps of Engineers (ACE), which has controlled our beach since the major replenishment project was completed in 2019. It is incomprehensible to me that the ACE is scheduled this fall to commence an emergency repair of the western Fire Island beaches but has resisted calls to move their operations just a few miles east to help communities such as the Pines, where the damage is even worse.
The ACE rejected our January application to repair the damage from last year’s Christmas storms, and was considering our appeal when Ophelia hit us two weeks ago, turning a major problem into a full-blown crisis. Up until recently it had been virtually silent on the issue, forcing FIPPOA to wage a pressure campaign to force the agency’s hand.
Here is some of what we have been doing on that front:
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We continue to work with Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. They could not be more helpful, writing letters and making calls to high-level United States military officials to urge them to take action. This is huge for us, and it could not have happened without the help of two community members, Andy Tobias and Joe Conforti.
- We have been working the phones and seeking to use every bit of political and media leverage we have. There are members of congress, state leaders and others whose support we are pursuing. Over the weekend I assembled political and communications professionals throughout the Pines to work as a group to help us prosecute the campaign as aggressively and strategically as possible. They will be using their relationships with state and federal officials to broaden political support and using their talents and resources to assist with communications.
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We have been working with the New York and Long Island media to cover the issue, as we seek to leverage every development to spread awareness and keep the pressure on. The New York Times, New York Post, Newsday and television stations have run stories. Ed Romaine, the Brookhaven town supervisor, held a press conference last week, with our participation. We are in discussions with other elected officials about speaking out on our behalf in the near future. Deep appreciation goes to FIPPOA board member, Andrew Kirtzman, for strategically coordinating these efforts.
- Last week, ACE sent FIPPOA a letter in response to the media coverage – a sign that the activity described above caught their attention. In it, they stated that the agency is “actively evaluating recent storm events,” and surveying the damage, to determine if it qualifies for PL 84 -99 emergency repairs. That is good news, though how it will shake out remains to be seen.
- We are not the only affected community; Davis Park and Ocean Bay Park in particular have also been devastated by the storms. We are working with the Fire Island Association to utilize their expertise and contacts, and to foster communication among the affected communities. A special thanks to its president, Suzy Goldhirsch, for her efforts.
One bright spot in this crisis has been the eagerness of Pines residents to plunge into the cause. They include some of New Yorks’ most talented professionals in their fields. If you feel you have expertise or contacts that can help us in our efforts, please feel free to reach out to me.
I have been receiving many good questions from concerned members of the community, so in response, I have created a short history and answers to the most frequently asked questions regarding the status of the beach and our efforts to get emergency repairs completed as soon as possible by the ACE.
You may also view before and after pictures of the damage caused by the recent storms along with two short videos. This information was sent to Suffolk County and the New York State DEC to assist in preparing the recent PL 84-99 application for emergency repairs.
I hope you find this useful, and as always, I will provide updates whenever new information warrants.
In solidarity,
Henry
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