Suffolk County was taken by surprise over the weekend by remnants of Hurricane Ernesto, which brought close to a foot of rain in just under two hours. Damages are estimated to be upwards of $50 million and local leaders are petitioning Governor Kathy Hochul (D) for a state of emergency declaration and the federal government for disaster aid.
County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) and many other elected officials and emergency response personnel have been touring the hardest-hit sites, mostly situated on the north shore. The most severe damage has consisted of the destruction of the dam at Stump Pond in Blydenburgh County Park and the emptying of Mill Pond in Stony Brook.
“We are seeing houses damaged, cesspools overflowing from floodwaters, personal items floating towards the Long Island Sound,” said Executive Romaine at Stump Pond. “In Rocky Point and Sound Beach, where you have hilly terrain leading to the south, we saw mudslides that covered the tops of cars with mud. Six-to-eight-foot mudslides encompassed those areas.”
The storm also flooded and closed major roadways, such as Bread and Cheese Hollow Road, Nicholls Road just north of Stony Brook University, and North Ocean Avenue/Patchogue-Mt.Sinai Road (CR-83).
Romaine (pictured above) met with an aide for Senator Chuck Schumer (D) on Tuesday to discuss federal disaster relief. He has invited Governor Hochul to personally tour the damage or to send a representative.
“I know the Governor has many, many responsibilities in a state as big as ours, but she has a standing invitation should she ever want to come and visit the damaged or send someone from her office,” said Romaine. “We are more than willing to meet her and I personally will escort either her or whoever she might want to send to all the damaged sites so she can begin to understand the scope of damage that this storm caused.”
Acting Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services (FRES) Commissioner Rudy Sunderman (pictured below) said that as of 5:00 Monday morning, FRES personnel had responded to over 320 alarms and faced stranded vehicles, washed-out roadways, basement floodings, sinkholes, and a house fire.
“Governor Hochul (D) is aware of what’s going on. She has directed the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to start the process of gathering all the data that we need to ensure that we help Suffolk County recover as quickly as possible,” said Sunderman.
Officials also stated that County infrastructure cannot handle so much water in such a short period of time.
“We did not expect ten inches in a few hours. The best a storm drain can handle is four or five inches. The best a sump can handle is maybe seven or eight inches. That’s why multiple sumps have absolutely failed,” said Romaine. He mentioned the Rocky Point mudslides due to the failure of three sumps. He expects more sump failures to be found.
“It’s clear that the once-in-a-hundred year storm has been coming far too frequently for a hundred years and that obviously has something to do with the weather or the climate,” said Romaine.
The County is also aware of wildlife endangerment from the sudden changes to their habitats. Fish and snapping turtles have been found dead in multiple locations, namely the two ponds that have emptied. Stump Pond in Blydenburgh is home to the only indigenous trout population in Suffolk County.
The County implores residents to take photos of the damage, catalog losses, and get estimates of what it would cost to restore. He said that he hopes State and federal officials will follow his emergency declaration with those of their own so that residents can qualify for certain forms of disaster relief.
“Please, catalog your expenses and keep all your receipts,” Romaine told residents.
FRES Commissioner Sunderman also said to go to the County website and fill out the form.
The website can accessed at this link: https://suffolkcountyny.gov/
The damage self-reporting form can be found here: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/4f19503f107e4541acfc-552514c0dbaa
