Nor’easter ravages Long Island beaches, leaving severe erosion in its wake
Officials across Nassau and Suffolk counties are assessing the damage after the storm battered the coastline with strong winds, heavy surf and high tides.
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A powerful nor’easter has left a trail of destruction along Long Island’s shoreline, stripping away vast amounts of sand and raising concerns about the future of some of the region’s beaches.
Officials across Nassau and Suffolk counties are assessing the damage after the storm battered the coastline with strong winds, heavy surf and high tides. In some locations, so much sand was washed away that little beachfront remains.
At Tobay Beach, Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino surveyed the storm’s impact.
“It really breaks my heart,” Saladino said while examining the damaged shoreline.
According to Saladino, beaches on both the Town of Oyster Bay’s South Shore and North Shore sustained significant losses.
“We have taken a massive hit here at Tobay Beach as well as beaches on the North Shore,” he said. “We’re looking at millions of dollars of damage in terms of loss of sand.”
Long Beach was also hit hard by the storm. The city’s east end experienced some of the most severe erosion, with large sections of sand washed away by powerful waves.
City Manager Dan Creighton said the damage highlights the importance of shoreline protection infrastructure, particularly a jetty that was never rebuilt as part of a previous project.
“We did redo the jetties a few years back,” Creighton said. “That one was not included in the project and needs to be redone.”
In Suffolk County, officials in the Town of Babylon reported erosion at all three of the town’s oceanfront beaches, though the severity varied by location.
“Overlook experienced a little bit of erosion,” said Babylon Public Works Commissioner Vincent Piccoli. “It seems like Gilgo had the most erosion of the three. Cedar Beach had a breach where the water comes over the dune.”
Farther east, Smith Point County Park suffered dramatic impacts. The beach had already been struggling with erosion prior to the nor’easter, and residents say conditions have only worsened.
“It’s a shame. You can’t fight Mother Nature,” said Ronkonkoma resident Bob Alford. “I’m thinking it’s only going to get worse over the years.”
Meteorologist Rich Hoffman said a combination of weather and astronomical factors contributed to the severe erosion.
“This storm had many aspects that produce large waves, strong winds and, with the full moon and king tides, that led to a lot of beach erosion on the south shore,” Hoffman explained.
As communities begin recovery efforts, Suffolk County officials are preparing to document the damage at Smith Point Beach. Drone photographs taken before the storm will be compared with new images captured once weather conditions improve. The visual evidence will help support applications for state and federal assistance aimed at restoring the shoreline.
A spokesperson for the Army Corps of Engineers stated:
“New York District has been closely tracking the storm and is aware of the significant dune and beach erosion across our area of responsibility. This is a difficult time, and our hearts go out to everyone who is being impacted by this weather event. It’s important to note these projects are in place for these types of storm events as the dunes and beaches are designed to absorb the impact of the storm and reduce damage to both infrastructure and communities.In the coming days, our personnel will be canvassing our projects in close coordination with our partners at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC), New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and our stakeholders at the local, state, and federal levels to assess our projects performance, and provide engineering expertise in regard to response operations. New York District is well-versed in storm response/recovery, and we stand ready to support the residents of the tri-state area as we navigate the challenges caused by this storm event. We will provide additional details as they become available.”
