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In October, I reported that the Army Corps of Engineers had once more rebuffed Suffolk County and the New York State's Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) request to repair the severe damage to our beach, claiming that the severity of this September’s storms did not meet its criteria for emergency repairs. I promised then that our efforts would only intensify as a result.
Since then, after extensive collaboration with Governor Hochul’s administration, Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, Congressman Andrew Garbarino, and incoming Suffolk County executive Ed Romaine, there has been some positive movement. Governor Kathy Hochul’s administration today took steps to get the Corps to reverse its decision.
The DEC this morning submitted a vehement challenge to the Corps’ position, urging the agency to commence work in the island’s eastern communities. In a letter to the Corps, it echoed arguments that FIPPOA has been making for months. “It is clear that the Lee/Ophelia storm system either qualifies as an extraordinary event…or these projects were deficiently designed and implemented,” it stated.
“While repairs to the western portion of the FIMI Project are scheduled to take place this fall, it is imperative that the eastern portion of the project be rehabilitated immediately to maintain its protective features and minimize the risk to public safety and property from barrier island breaching,” the letter states. “If another significant event occurs before the FIMI Project is repaired, there is a much greater risk of breaches and associated catastrophic damage.”
Senators Gillibrand and Schumer now intend to sign a joint letter to the Corps in support of the DEC’s appeal.
Our public pressure campaign is meanwhile continuing. An online petition to the Corps passed 10,000 signatures today, an extraordinary show of support for our beloved island that reflects the passion we all feel for this cause (please sign it if you haven’t already). State Senator Brad Hoylman is circulating a letter to other elected officials in support of the cause. And Newsday last week published an op-ed signed by the Seaview Association president and me highlighting the ongoing public safety crisis that the erosion has created, as emergency vehicles cannot traverse areas of the beach because of severe erosion.
Our efforts to raise public awareness promise to bear fruit in the current fight and in the inevitable battles we will have to wage for beach renourishment in the future. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your continued support.
Best,
Henry
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