Sen. Chuck Schumer warned that parts of Long Island’s prized beaches and nature reserves have been literally washing away and the Biden Administration has done nothing to replenish the beaches and stem the erosion.
Schumer, the Senate Democratic majority from New York, blasted the Army Corps of Engineers for their inaction in failing to restore large chunks of Fire Island’s pristine beaches, which were decimated by a slew of winter storms.
Fire Island helps shield Long Island from violent storms fueled by the Atlantic Ocean, while its status as a favorite summer getaway for city dwellers provides crucial jobs and tax revenue for the local governments in Suffolk County.
Schumer’s Sept. 25 letter — sent to the Army Corps. before the region was walloped with seven inches of rain last week — also slams the agency for failing to fix similar damage in Long Island’s Montauk and the Shinnecock Inlet.
“Major erosion also occurred along Fire Island’s beaches, and emergency repair is particularly needed in the eastern Fire Island communities where the beachfront has diminished and USACE assistance is critical to protecting them from future storm events,” Schumer wrote in the letter.
He specifically mentioned Seaview, Ocean Bay Park, Point O’Woods, Cherry Grove, Fire Island Pines, Water Island, and Davis Park.
“Local officials, Suffolk County and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation have done what they could do to help those areas recover, but are seeking assistance from the [Army Corps] to provide a robust, more-permanent restoration,” Schumer added.
Homeowners and visitors on Fire Island have also demanded answers for months as they’ve watched the beaches get swept out to sea.
Henry Robin, 61, president of the Property Owners Association in the Pines section of the island, explained the area’s importance to Long Island’s ecosystem.
“Fire Island is a barrier island that extends for miles and is the first line of defense for Long Island,” Robin said. “When hurricanes and nor-easters hit, they would be significantly more severe if Fire Island wasn’t there to take the brunt.”
Robin said the beach has “never looked this bad in the 25 years I’ve been coming out here.”
He also emphasized that Fire Island has a history spanning decades as a safe summer haven for gay and lesbian beachgoers.
“The Pines is a predominately LGBT community, it has a very significant history as part of the gay rights movement, it was perhaps the first safe haven,” he said. “We’re talking about potential loss of life and property. We’re talking about the potential loss of a community. It’s terrifying.”
“The Pines is a predominately LGBT community, it has a very significant history as part of the gay rights movement, it was perhaps the first safe haven,” he said. “We’re talking about potential loss of life and property. We’re talking about the potential loss of a community. It’s terrifying.”
Robin said the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Suffolk County officials have appealed to the Army Corps for help and have gotten “zero” response.
He added that Suffolk County and state officials plan to submit another request to the Army Corps after storm Ophelia hit last week.
In Schumer’s letter to US Army Corps of Engineers Lieutenant General Scott Spellman, he called addressing the agency’s four storm damage and beach erosion reduction projects an “urgent matter.”
Schumer demanded emergency assistance for the following areas: The Fire Island Inlet to Moriches Inlet, Fire Island Inlet and Shores Westerly to Jones Inlet Beach, West of Shinnecock Inlet Interim Storm Damage Reduction Project, and Downtown Montauk Stabilization Project.
He also noted that county and state officials previously requested emergency assistance from the federal government’s chief engineering agency after multiple storms hammered Long Island’s beaches in December and January.
The Army Corps of Engineers did not return requests for comment.