Southampton - By the time Hurricane Irene made her presence felt on Eastern Long Island over this past weekend residents were as prepared as possible, however, that didn't prevent or protect thousands on Long Island from flooding, downed trees and power lines, structural damage, loss of electricity and phone service, and havoc, havoc, havoc as we head into the unofffical last weekend of the summer.

Local politicans and officials are now in the process of assessing damage and advising on just what aid and assistance residents can hope to receive in the clean-up efforts.

Congressman Tim Bishop, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Coast Guard Captain Joe Vojvodich conducted an aerial assessment of eastern Long Island's southern coastline on Monday morning in a Coast Guard HH-60 helicopter. Following the tour, Bishop drove to Brookhaven where he joined town officials on a boat tour to inspect damage on Fire Island and around Mastic Beach and the Moriches.


"At first glance, it appears the coastline held essentially intact," Congressman Bishop said. "I saw a good deal of flooding around inner shore communities near Shinnecock Bay and Moriches Bay. As we enter the assessment and recovery phase, I want to make sure that we are aggressively cataloguing storm damage and that all possible aid is brought back to Suffolk County."

Congressman Bishop has been in contact with New York-based officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and will work with Suffolk County to begin cataloguing storm damage this week. Once all damage has been catalogued and costs assessed, Governor Cuomo will make a request to the President for aid. Any available Federal aid would be given based on the recorded damage, so it is vital to compile the most comprehensive possible information.

Officials are also urging LIPA executives to increase power restoration efforts on the East End where nearly half of area residents and businesses remain without power. The latest estimate put that number at approximately 10,000 customers in Southampton alone.


"With Labor Day approaching and so many of our merchants relying on at least one more busy week, the local economy will suffer yet another major setback if power is not restored and businesses cannot open," said Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst.

On Monday, a LIPA official reported that more than 200 workers are on the ground in Southampton working 16-hour shifts to address more than 60 damage sites. It was also explained that because the impacts of the storm are so widespread, there are limited contractors available to assist as they have been called upon in areas upstate and into New England as well.

"I certainly appreciate all of their efforts, but power has been very slow to return and the idea that it might take another four of five days is unacceptable - there is simply too much at stake for our resort economy," she said. "I've spoken with our state and federal representatives and they too are urging LIPA to ramp-up power restoration efforts on the East End," Throne-Holst added.

"Our phone lines have been flooded with calls from residents who want to know approximately how much longer it will be before they get power. They want some kind of timeline. We've asked for neighborhood by neighborhood estimates, but the information has not been made available," she said. "They have committed only to updating us about work that has been completed."


Among much of the local damage, Southampton lost the C.& E. Bennett Blacksmith Shop when a very heavy branch behind the Shop fell onto the roof. Sad news for volunteers Ed and Carryl Howell who worked at the Shop for many years. The collection of blacksmith tools came from Carryl Bennett Howell's family who had a blacksmith shop in Water Mill. The other buildings made it fine through the storm, and since a sense of humor is always necessary during difficult times, the Historical Society reports that "One bonus, a dead apple tree - slated for removal at Halsey House - came down also."

Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) urged the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) to increase the number of LIPA and out-of-state contract service repairs crews dispatched to the East End, insisting that power must be restored prior to the holiday weekend.

Local restaurants, shops, and business have already suffered massive losses from the power outages resulting from Hurricane Irene which made landfall early Sunday morning. When stores are not open, merchandise is not being sold. Inventory, especially perishable food items are spoiling and being thrown out. Money is going out, but not coming in.

Labor Day is the last profit generating period of the 2011 summer season. If power outages extend though the holiday weekend, the economic impacts could be devastating for many of our local businesses. Power must be restored prior to the holiday weekend to allow business owners to clean up, prepare for the weekend, and re-build inventory.

New York State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle issued the following statement about the response to the aftermath of tropical storm Irene:

"I hope that everyone is now safe, dry and recovering from tropical storm Irene. While there is a great deal of work ahead of us, I want to thank all of the hard working men and women - police, fire, highway workers, shelter workers and volunteers - all those who helped fellow Long Islanders throughout the storm and the ongoing recovery. I also want to thank the frontline LIPA linemen and women, repair crews and all those doing power restoration work for their round-the-clock, tireless efforts to get power restored.


Area residents are showing their support and offering help to each other, as the sound of chain saws resonates in the air.

On the North Fork, Southold, Orient and East Marion residents are still mostly without power, and in Cutchogue, the local Fire Department is offering much needed assistance to those who require refrigeration for medicines. The Fire Department has a refrigerated truck and are urging residents to bring those items to the fire department where they will be kept safe under lock and key until they are signed out.

Andrew J. Mitchell, President & CEO of Peconic Bay Medical Center advised "Through a well-executed advanced emergency preparedness plan and the extraordinary efforts of our employees and physicians, Peconic Bay Medical Center and its skilled nursing facility remained fully operational during Hurricane Irene. Several emergency surgeries were performed during the course of the hurricane and a baby was delivered via emergency C-section. Additionally, we provided two RNs to staff emergency needs at the Riverhead High School regional shelter and, due to a lack of a special needs shelter in the region, admitted a number of special need shelter residents.

The skies have now cleared and PBMC is in clean-up mode. Rental generators that ensured power to the hospital in the event of outages to our permanent generators are being deactivated. Patients whose discharges were delayed due to safety concerns during the hurricane have returned home. Our regular elective surgery schedule resumes, as do our administrative and medical on-call systems, and staff are returning to their normal work schedules."

Utility crews from all over the country (in particular, Missouri and Illinois), are working with LIPA to try and restore power to all as soon as possible - but don't let the clear blue skies fool you, there are thousands still without power on both the North and South Forks and further up island.


Southampton Hospital's Administration and staff prepared for the worst scenario for a good part of last week, reviewing the Hospital-wide emergency plans that are in place, and following reports of Irene's path through NOAA webinars. Fortunately, the Hospital was not instructed to evacuate as were other hospitals in western Suffolk County. In addition to the ongoing communication between all departments involved in patient care on Saturday, prior to Irene's arrival, and on Sunday, during the worst of the weather, Administration and department leadership participated in four conference calls to keep staff updated. At 11:30 a.m. Sunday, the Hospital lost power and immediately reverted to its generator system. LIPA completed restoring power to the main hospital at 11:20 p.m. The Hospital extends a special thanks to Congressman Tim Bishop and Southampton Village Mayor Mark Epley who were in constant communication and helped to expedite the LIPA effort.

Robert Chaloner, President and CEO, comments, "Southampton Hospital's highest priority is always patient care. We are very appreciative to all the staff and physicians who traveled to get here in the storm, many of whom stayed overnight. All areas of the Hospital - Plant Operations, IT, Nursing, Dietary, Emergency Services, Hospitalists, Residents, Environmental Services, Lab, Pharmacy and Security-did an amazing job to insure that we are available to care for our communities, whatever the situation."

The Hampton Jitney is running their full schedule. However, their phones and internet are still down, and passengers are encouraged to show up at any of the stops if they wish to travel.

Post-Irene patience is now required, as much as caution was required during the storm. Officials, utility representatives and residents are all hopeful that power will be restored as soon as possible and we can all enjoy the upcoming holiday weekend.

Some Important Numbers To Have

1. American Red Cross of Suffolk County: 631-924-6700

2. Suffolk County Office of Emergency Management: 631-852-4900

3. Long Island Power Authority: 1-800-490-0075 (to report downed power lines or electrical emergency)

4. National Grid: 1-800-490-0045 (emergency gas safety)