Brookhaven Town Provides Hurricane Damage Report

Hurricane Irene has left its mark on Brookhaven Town, with numerous areas in the township still affected by power outages, flooding and other damages, all of which town officials addressed during a press conference at Blue Point Marina Monday.

Supervisor Mark Lesko, joined by Congressman Tim Bishop, Highway Superintendent John Rouse and other town officials, provided a detailed report on the aftermath of Hurricane Irene.

"The damage in the township, while it’s somewhat isolated, is serious," Lesko said. "It will take a while to recover, and there are certain townwide issues that will impact everybody, so I ask everybody to be patient."

More than 200 town workers were out in the field Sunday surveying the damage and clearing up the roads, Rouse said, with an additional 50 workers from parks and waste management deployed later to assist. At this time, Rouse said there are nearly 400 resources out on the streets, with the recent addition of 50 outside contractors providing workers and equipment.

In the last 48 hours, Lesko said the town has responded to nearly 1,200 calls from residents asking for information or assistance. Officials emphasized their discomfort with the way LIPA is handling the electrical outages and damages incurred throughout the town as a result of Hurricane Irene.

Approximately 60,000 of the 190,000 LIPA customers in Brookhaven Town are without power. According to LIPA, about 50-percent of those customers should have their power restored within the next 48 hours, Lesko said.

While Lesko noted Brookhaven personnel have cleared a majority of the debris throughout the streets, the remaining cleanup can’t be completed until LIPA steps in and clears the power lines.

“We’ve become increasingly concerned about LIPA’s reaction to the event,” Lesko said.

Another issue stemming from LIPA’s delay, according to Lesko, were downed traffic signals.

“We have 100 traffic signals out in the town,” Lesko said, noting that numerous lights have already been fixed.

“We’re looking for an adequate response for LIPA,” the town supervisor added. Lesko urged drivers to use caution when approaching traffic signals, especially on busier roads.

Another large area for concern is the power outage at Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson, Lesko said. The supervisor even made an official request to LIPA at the conference to expedite the process to remedy the situation.

“Their [Mather’s] offices and radiology departments are now without power, they have made several requests to LIPA that have gone unanswered," he said. "Their outpatient, chemotherapy and blood transfusions can’t operate, their radiology is down.”

Keeping track of every damage incurred is the first step to building back the town. Congressman Bishop, D-Southampton, said organization and cooperation is crucial in the wake of Hurricane Irene.

“The key is everyone has to be very careful with their damage assessments,” he said. “Municipalities, homeowners, all of their claims form the basis of the disaster relief and opens the door for FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency].

Though the town is currently funding the storm clean up, Lesko said they expect to see reimbursement from FEMA, and are keeping detailed logs and records of the costs so far.

Bishop emphasized that this will be an expensive storm for Washington to respond to, and though some funding from FEMA is expected, the agency doesn’t have the resources to reimburse all the areas affected by the hurricane.

“We hope [Washington] recognizes that a significant portion of the country needs the help of the federal government,” Bishop said.