Feds finally agree to make repairs to sand on key Fire Island beaches: ‘Protect them for the next generation’
The feds have finally agreed to replace the sand on key Fire Island beaches that shield Long Island from the powerful Atlantic Ocean, which have been swept to sea by a string of storms over the last year, sources say.
The decision comes after months of intense pressure from New York politicians and a renewed campaign to rescue outposts on Fire Island following a story and photographs published by The Post that highlighted the dramatic toll of the latest erosion.
“Long Island’s iconic beaches are a treasured natural resource and I’m doing everything in my power to protect them for the next generation,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul in a statement.
“New Yorkers are grateful for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers response to our request for support to address severe coastal erosion, along with the continued support of Senators Schumer and Gillibrand.”
Schumer said in a statement: “Today, we have made good progress and the Army Corps is fired up to help Fire Island. And that is a good thing because the Island is a mess from recent storm damage.”
“Time is of the essence on Fire Island and immediate repairs are needed to minimize the risk to public safety, safeguard property and important infrastructure, and shield essential local government assets,” he added.
The timeline for the repairs has still yet to be finalized.
It’s not all good news though. New York state officials said the Army Corps still has yet to qualify Montauk and the Shinnecock Inlet and the inlet near Fire Island for repairs, too.
Fire Island helps shield Long Island from violent storms fueled by the Atlantic, while its status as a favorite summer getaway for city dwellers provides crucial jobs and tax revenue for the local governments in Suffolk County.
Property owners and the local governments maintained the beaches themselves for years, but let the Army Corps of Engineers take them over as part of a larger project.
They were left infuriated by the agency’s refusal to repair the growing damage to the beaches following a string of storms over the spring and fall, and federal rules that prohibited them from fixing the coast themselves.
Federal officials argued for months that no single storm was severe enough to trigger approvals for emergency repairs — a requirement that Schumer staffers say was circumvented by lobbying the agency to review all the damage done collectively.
The October story in the Post highlighting the deteriorating conditions was sparked by a letter sent by an infuriated Schumer to the Army Corps demanding action — and triggered a wave of stories and editorials demanding action.
“The New York District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers thanks Sen. Schumer, Sen. Gillibrand, Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for their unwavering support in response to severe storm damage on Fire Island and Long Island’s south shore,” said a spokesman for the feds in a statement.
