Areas saw flooding ‘worse than Sandy’

As of last week, PSEG Long Island was restoring customers after strong winds and heavy rain caused scattered power outages throughout PSEG Long Island’s service area. As of 8:15 p.m. on Jan. 10, PSEG restored power to more than 26,400 customers. The majority of residents were restored by the end of the day.

The storm also caused widespread flooding in Ocean Beach on Fire Island. Some water entered the substation, requiring PSEG Long Island to shut off the equipment for safety. Crews arrived on the ferry the same day, inspected the substation and found no permanent damage to the equipment. PSEG personnel were able to energize the substation as of 2:14 p.m. and the customer load was restored as of 2:32 p.m.

After assessing the damage with Suffolk County executive Ed Romaine and Suffolk County Legis. Jim Mazzarella, NYS Sen. Dean Murray said affected areas included Blue Point, Patchogue, East Patchogue, Bellport, Brookhaven Hamlet, Shirley, and Mastic Beach. Some of these areas, according to officials saw flooding worse than Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

“In visiting those areas, I have also been in contact with assemblyman Joe DeStefano, Legis. Dominick Thorne, Brookhaven supervisor Dan Panico and Patchogue mayor Paul Pontieri, all of whom are in agreement that we need additional help to deal with the damage and aftermath of this storm,” he said.

Both Suffolk County and Brookhaven Town have declared a state of emergency. Murray and his colleagues, he said, have since requested Gov. Kathy Hochul does the same for the state so that areas can access However, the state has not issued one due to damages not meeting a certain threshold.

Thorne also suggested residents self-report damage to a newly created webpage: http://tinyurl.com/mse7rrfm.

The new website, he said, is a collaboration by affected counties in New York State as an online form allowing residents to self-report damages to their homes and/or businesses. The purpose is not to apply for funding, but rather to help collect information that may help state and local officials identify supplemental damages for possible federal assistance requests.

FIRE ISLAND DAMAGE

According to PSEG, the storm caused widespread flooding in Ocean Beach on Fire Island. At the substation, water did enter and employees shut off the equipment for safety.

However, crews arrived on the ferry that same day, inspected the substation after the water receded, and found no permanent damage to the equipment. PSEG Long Island personnel were able to energize the substation as of 2:14 p.m. and the customer load was restored as of 2:32 p.m.

The National Park Service also announced closures of several federal areas on Fire Island due to storm damage.  Areas include Sunken Forest Boardwalk, Watch Hill Boardwalk, and Carrington Boardwalk. Seashore staff will continue to monitor conditions. “Fire Island National Seashore continues to place visitor safety as the highest priority, while communicating with the public regarding next steps as we begin storm recovery,” said Fire Island National Seashore chief of interpretation Nick Clemons. “There is no firm date for reopening boardwalks.”