Alfonse D'Amato

Long Island’s future looks bright in 2016

Posted

Twenty-fifteen came and went, and yet, believe it or not, many Long Island residents are still struggling to recover from Superstorm Sandy. Rather than getting back on their feet, they are left waiting for promised relief.

Even though the majority of displaced residents have returned to their homes, some are still waiting to finish their repairs and make the improvements necessary to head off future destruction.

Miles of wooden bulkheads along the South Shore remain unrepaired and are now eroding. These structures are a critical component in the protection of our shores against flooding. In addition, many of our sewer systems, particularly the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant, were severely damaged in Sandy. The plant has been an environmental hazard since then, though it should be resolved with improvements and upgrades. Lastly, Sandy and subsequent beach erosion have caused tremendous damage to dunes along the ocean. Many of our beaches lack adequate protection because the dunes have not been fully repaired.

The restoration work on these three projects is long overdue, and must be completed before it’s too late. We can potentially minimize future disasters if we complete all of the repairs remaining from Sandy’s aftermath. Most of the delays are caused by bureaucratic red tape, and that’s a shame, but there may be hope this year.

On Jan. 5, at a Long Island Association breakfast, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced several initiatives that have the potential to vastly improve our infrastructure and life on the Island. Locally, the governor has promised improvements to the dunes and sewer systems. Hooray! He worked arduously to reach a $230 million agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers to protect the shoreline. This is critically important for Point Lookout, the City of Long Beach and other beaches along the southern edge of Nassau County.

The project will create a system of new beaches, dunes and groins that will stabilize and strengthen the shoreline against future storms. The groins, or jetties, will help trap and hold sand. This will help assure that the newly reinforced beachfronts will minimize erosion and destruction in any other environmental disasters.

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