Southampton Readying For Newest Storm Set To Batter Shoreline

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — Southampton Town officials were battening down the hatches in advance of another storm set to batter the area Friday night.

According to Ryan Murphy, town code compliance and emergency management administrator, Southampton Town officials had been monitoring the forecast and were in communication with its partners at the National Weather Service; they have also been in communication with their emergency management partners at the Suffolk County Office of Emergency Management.

"The previous declaration of a State of Emergency is still in effect and will take us through the whole day on Saturday to cover the town in the event that emergency protective or response measures must be taken," Murphy told Patch.

Regular briefing updates on the weather have been sent out from the Southampton OEM to all appropriate town departments, as well as other local emergency management partners, he said.

With Friday night's storm expected to slam coastlines with flooding and erosion, there are some areas of concern in Southampton Town, Murphy said.

"The area on the West side of Shinnecock Inlet that has suffered significant dune erosion from the last several storms," Murphy said. "The recent storms have eroded thousands of cubic yards of sand from that area."

Murphy said that the Suffolk County Department of Public Works toiled tirelessly after the December 18 storm to try to strengthen that area, but the recent storm this week again did significant damage.

"The Suffolk County DPW has been out since the storm clearing the displaced sand from the roadway and putting it back on the dune, along with other efforts to help fortify the dune structure to hopefully withstand tomorrow’s storm," he said.

Southampton Town trustees also extended a temporary ban on beach driving until Monday due to the impending storm.

Although Friday night's rain is not expected to pack as much of a punch as the last storm, Murphy said, "We are still expecting 12 to 17-foot breaking waves on the ocean beaches. These waves could cause significant damage once again. We will continue to monitor the ocean beaches throughout the storm."

Individuals are once again encouraged to exercise extreme caution during the storm, he added. High winds, rain and flooding may make travel hazardous.

"Individuals are urged to avoid unnecessary travel during the storm. Drivers should also avoid driving through floodwaters and should remember the saying, 'Turn around, don’t drown,'" Murphy said.

Particularly in low-lying and coastal flood prone areas, residents are asked not to drive into floodwaters and place themselves in a position to require rescue from local fire and emergency response agencies, he added.