Hashamomuck Cove Residents 'At Standstill' As New Storm Looms

SOUTHOLD, NY — After Winter Storm Riley battered Hashamomuck Cove in Southold leaving massive debris and new coastal erosion last week, residents are bracing for another round during Wednesday's looming winter storm.

Hashamomuck Cove residents say they are still grappling with the effects of a devastating January "bomb cyclone" that slammed the North Fork, during which a fishing shack that has stood since the 1920s at Hashamomuck Cove was smashed, battered and completely washed away. Bulkheads were destroyed, homes severely damaged — and residents cried out for help.

This week, residents voiced their frustration with the relentless storms and the search for solutions.

"It has been a very difficult few days on Hashamomuck Cove," said Kate Phelan. "I am stunned by the erosion and debris field caused by Winter Storm Riley. We are now being pounded by logs, loose pilings and all manner of debris at each high tide."

Phelan said neighbors have contacted Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell regarding a proposed erosion control taxing district.

"We are putting a meeting together to discuss taxing district options and will hopefully have that soon," Russell told Patch via email on Friday.

Residents, meanwhile, are hoping to be spared as another storm looms. "We are at a standstill as we await this week’s nor’easter," Phelan said.

Describing last week's damage, resident Lynn Laskos said there were "debris fields floating as far as the eye can see, smashing against bulkheads, and in some cases, houses. Houses that were not repaired from the blizzard because they are waiting on permits or insurance received more damage. Houses are flooded again."

Of last week's storm, Laskos added, "In all my years there, this was the scariest."

Her neighbor Phelan was in "shock and disbelief," Laskos said.

Laskos voiced frustation that Suffolk County and Southold Town have shown an unwillingness to sign on as local partners in a proposed beach renourishment plan.

"Despite the lack of county support these homes continue to be the only buffer. We guess soon the county and town will get their wish," she said.

As Friday's fierce winds and rain continued to batter the North Fork, residents of storm-socked Hashamomuck Cove said they continue to hope for the best but are fearful that the relentless gusts and swelling tides of relentless storms could spell doom.

"The families of Hashamomuck Cove are praying for the best but preparing for the worst," Laskos said.

Residents, led by Laskos, asked Southold Town for a roundtable discussion on a plan pitched by the United States Army Corp of Engineers before the town board made any decisions regarding signing on as a local sponsor for a plan to renourish the beach at Hashamomuck Cove.

That meeting was held at the Peconic Lane Community Center, but residents were left with few options, as the town board and county said they were not expecting to sign on to the beach replenishment project as local sponsors. Russell and town board members said they felt the financial price tag was too high a burden to place on the backs of taxpayers.

Russell and the board said they'd help residents in any way they could save taxing residents to pay for private property; to that end, a plan to create an erosion control taxing districts was discussed.

After the storm in January, residents came to the town board to plead for help after their homes were left damaged.

And on Friday, Laskos said many of those homes remained in peril as fierce winds howled by.

"Our hearts are in our throats"

"Our hearts are in our throats," Laskos said Friday. "Most families have not even fixed their houses from the blizzard due to insurance and the permit process. They are going into today's storm damaged. I hope they make it."

Regarding the idea of signing on as a local sponsor for Hashamomuck Cove beach replenishment, Russell has said: "It is important for me to stress that the issue isn't about the cost for me. It is that I do not support the use of taxpayer dollars to pay for the restoration of private property at any cost," Russell said. "I understand that there is a separate goal and that is to protect County Road 48. To me, the optimum word is 'county'". The road, he said, "is not owned by or maintained by the town which means it is for the county to address. The town does not have and should not have any role here."

Suffolk County Commissioner of Public Works Gil Anderson and Suffolk County Chief Engineer Bill Hillman, at the roundtable agreed that the county had no current plan to sign on as a local sponsor to the project pitched by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

Anderson said the county DPW would do whatever was necessary to protect the road, but said there was no intent for the county to sign on a local sponsor. "My main concern is County Road 48. We are not expecting to be a local partner," he said.

Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski, when asked by resident Phelan if the idea of the county acting as a local sponsor was off the table, said he hasn't said "no" yet, but added that it did not mean that he'd agreed. The ultimate decision, both Krupski and Anderson said, lies with Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone.

During the January storm, Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley said a portion of Route 48 between Boisseau Ave. in Southold and Chapel Lane in Greenport was closed due to flooding at Hashamomuck Cove. There was flooding and water damage by Albertson Lane in Greenport, Flatley said.

"The water made its way through the houses during the exceptionally high tide. There was 2 feet of water across Rt. 48, as well as debris from the Long Island Sound," Flatley said. "We had to close it down until the tide went out." The road was salted and reopened, Flatley said.

Residents have voiced concerns that should their homes be destroyed, County Road 48 could be breached, a threat for the entire town should evacuation be necessary in a storm.

Patch courtesy photos, video.