Resident On Hashamomuck Cove Storm Damage: 'It's A War Zone'

SOUTHOLD, NY — A fishing shack that has stood since the 1920s at Hashamomuck Cove was smashed, battered and completely wiped away during Thursday's brutal storm. Bulkheads were destroyed, homes severely damaged. And homeowners were left surveying the damage Friday morning — angry, they said, that their cries for help have gone unheard for years.

"It's a war zone," resident Lynn Laskos said Friday.

However, she said, the damage was not unexpected. For years, Laskos and neighbors have been imploring government officials for help; their homes, they said, stand as a buffer between the raging Long Island Sound and County Road 48 and during a storm event, rushing waters threaten to breach County Road 48, a vital evacuation route in the event of a hurricane or emergency.

After Thursday's storm, Laskos said, "We always said we're the buffer to County Road 48. Now, our houses are so damaged that even if we wanted to be that buffer, we couldn't be. Now it's time for the county and town to step it up."

On Thursday, 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.

Laskos said much of that debris might have come from bulkheads that were battered and destroyed; on Friday, the beach was littered with fields of broken and splintered wood and shattered remains of bulkheads.

Homes sustained water and structural damage, Laskos said.

Laskos said her heart broke when she had to call her longtime friend and neighbor David Corwin and tell him that his family's shack, which had stood for generations, had been wiped away.

"It is only a matter of time and the right storm and the bulkheads and houses that are protecting County Road 48 are going the way of the shack in a storm. Then County Road 48 will be out of service for days or weeks rather than 2 hours," Corwin said.

According to Corwin, "the shack was originally located where the former Sound View restaurant is. It was a bait shop. I was told that it was the original Jack's Shack." The shack had electric, a telephone, refrigerator, stove, pump, solar hot water shower and a toilet, Corwin said.

(Below is a photo of the shack in past years — the shack is now gone, just pilings remain.)

(Photo by Lisa Finn in past years)

Reflecting on a quest for help she began to wage in 2006, when she and neighbors knocked on then Suffolk County Legis. Ed Romaine's door, Laskos said, "I'm speechless. I'm devastated. I'm hurt. This never should have happened. We've been doing this for years and still, all levels of government can't get together to do what's right."

Despite money spent on countless studies, the damage Friday remains, she said.

As far back as 2006, then Congressman Tim Bishop said the situation at Hashamomuck Cove was desperate, with a badly eroded shoreline, homes threatened, and a major roadway, gas main and power lines at risk. At the time, he first called upon on the United States Army Corp. of Engineers to conduct the study.

Laskos said for all the money spent since on studies, a solution could have been rendered. "Talk about wasted government money. All that money could have been used to do something, even if it was just a bandaid," she said. "Our cove is not brain surgery. It's not a major project. It's a quick fix — or it was a quick fix. But this project was stalled."

In August, 2016, with erosion still an issue, a press conference was held at the site, with Rep. Lee Zeldin and local elected officials gathered.

On August 12, 2016, Zeldin said, the U.S. Army of Corps of Engineers released the Draft Integrated Feasibility Report & Environmental Assessment, which outlined the proposed coastal storm risk management project for Hashamomuck Cove.

The proposed project, which was estimated to cost $17,749,000, would encompass 1.5 miles of developed coast on the Long Island Sound, including 58 residential structures and two commercial properties.

Congressman Zeldin highlighted the details of the project, announcing that the proposed project, which is broken down into three parts: the West Cove, Central Cove, and East Cove, includes plans to build a 25-foot berm in the West Cove, a variable-width berm between 25 to 75 feet in the Central Cove, and a 25-foot berm in the East Cove.

Overall, 160,000 cubic yards of sand would be needed to enhance the coastline, including 34,000 cubic yards in the West Cove, 56,000 cubic yards in the Central Cove, and 70,000 cubic yards in the East Cove.

The initial planning and engineering costs will be covered 100 percent by the federal government, Zeldin said.

The initial construction cost share would be covered 65 percent with federal funding — with 35 percent still needed to be provided by a non-federal partner at the town, county and or state level, Zeldin said.

The cost of re-nourishment over the long term, 50 year life of the project will be shared 50/50 by the federal government and a non-federal source.

When asked if a public private partnership or corporate sponsorship was a possibility, to generate between $6 and $7 million in funding for the remaining 35 percent needed, Zeldin said he'd go back to the ACOE to find answers.

After the press conference in 2016, Russell told Patch that while he was not sure if it the federal government would allow for a private partner to step up with the funding, "Given the urgency of the situation I am sure that any legal hurdles can be overcome."

The supervisor added that he believes utility companies should be included in the discussion, "since they have a vested interest in fortifying their infrastructure. Currently, PSE&G has been working on a large scale project focusing on fortifying their electric assets throughout the town including new poles, etc. This project would dovetail nicely to those goals."

Russell also put another alternative on the proverbial table.

"One thing we should at least contemplate, although it will not be well received, is a special Hashamomock Cove Improvement District that would put some nominal costs on the properties most benefiting from the project," he said.

Town to talk taxing district

On Friday, Laskos said, faced with the damage sustained after Thursday's storm, "Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski and Supervisor Scott Russell are not interested in funding this project at all."

Russell said, when asked about the Hashamomuck Cove issue, "I had offered to meet with the owners there and look forward to discussing the concept of a taxing district."

Added Krupski, "Certainly, the county will take care of the road and make sure the road is secure." The county and town would not be able to address issues on private property, he said.

"Mother Nature calls the shots. That's the reality. Mother Nature is calling the shots here, not her, and not me," Krupski said.

He added that he has a long history of addressing the issues at Hashamomuck Cove, beginning when he was a trustee and through devastating storms over the years. "It's Mother Nature," he said.

Of the idea of a taxing district, Laskos said she has asked the town for information to share among homeowners before a meeting. No homeowners had vetoed the idea; they need to learn more, she said. A meeting was held last year to explain to the 76 homeowners involved the definition of words such as "easements," she said.

When asked about a taxing district, Laskos said the town beach is involved; no taxes are garnered from the town beach, she said. "Where's the town's skin in the game?" she asked. The town's portion would constitute one third of the project and homeowners should not be asked to fund the town's third, she said.

But, she said, the 3 coves in question, including the cove near the Soundview, although owned privately, are enjoyed by the public and are a boon for tourism.

The third cove, she said, is the town beach, which was also hit hard Thursday, as waters pounded the parking lot. The parking lot was filled with debris on Friday.

The bottom line, Laskos said, is the erosion and damage have now extended to the county line, and the county needs to address the critical issues, with County Road 48 in severe danger of being even more compromised during the next storm.

Zeldin spoke out on Hashamomuck Cove Friday: "“The Hashamomuck Cove project is important to protect local homes, businesses, and infrastructure, including County Route 48, which is a critical roadway for transportation, first responders, and the sole evacuation route in case of an emergency," he said.

"Completion of this project will help protect the Hashamomuck Cove community from the next major storm, which could happen at any time as evidenced by yesterday’s severe weather. Yesterday’s flooding and damage to local property underscores the urgency of this project."

The initial study phase of the critical project was 100% federally funded, and the Army Corps is ready to move forward and execute the next phase of this project once a non-federal partner steps up to the plate, Zeldin said.

"Local businesses, residents, and first responders cannot afford to wait as their properties and access to Route 48 continues to be threatened. I will continue to work closely with the Army Corps and local officials to ensure this pivotal project continues to move forward.”

Following are courtesy photos of the shack, now lost forever, over the years.

Lead photo, Patch photo by Lisa Finn. All others are Patch courtesy photos.