Westhampton Beach Emerges Unscathed From Tropical Storm Henri

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY —With Henri downgraded to a tropical storm and heading east, making landfall in Rhode Island Sunday, Long Island dodged a bullet, officials said — the storm left little trace in Westhampton Beach and other areas of the East End.

A Patch reporter, driving through the area Sunday, found no trees down and no evidence of flooding; even Dune Road near Quogue looked not much different than how it usually does during a high tide cycle. Rain and winds were minimal and there was no shortage of gas at local stations.

While the water level in area bays was high, there was nothing overtopping the shorelines.

Most shops were closed; handwritten notes, with hearts, in some urged customers to "stay safe." The iconic Beach Bakery remained open, much as it has for every major weather event and snowstorm for decades. Even flights at area airports were reported to be arriving on time.

"We were prepared for the worst but are relieved that the impact was not significant," said Westhampton Beach Village Mayor Maria Moore. "There were no power outages and only pockets of flooding. We’re hoping for the best for those in the direct line of the storm."

Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman was relieved by the outcome. "There were no major problems. It's behind us now," he said. Even a 6 p.m. meeting with department heads was canceled and the emergency operation center is set to close at 4 p.m.

"We prepared for something much larger. It was a good exercise in terms of mobilization of people and resources gearing up for what could have been a Category 1 hurricane. It's always good to practice for those kinds of things," Schneiderman said.

As of 3 p.m. 99 customers remained without power in Southampton Town, said Ryan Murphy, Southampton Town's emergency manager. He added that the Ponquogue Bridge was about to reopen as was Dune Road. The parking lot will open but the beach is still closed to swimmers and surfers, he said.

All town beaches were in "good shape" Sunday and there were no problems reported in areas near the Peconic Bay that initially sparked flooding concerns, the supervisor said.

"We dodged a bullet," Schneiderman said.

On Sunday, officials said there could still be significant impacts from flooding and storm surges in some areas of Long Island.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the "good news" was that Henri had shifted about 40 miles east, reaching Long Island Sunday a little west of Montauk. The storm was then projected to bend again to the west, bringing Henri closer to the New York State border and impacting the Hudson Valley, Albany, and capital regions, Cuomo said.

On Long Island, Nassau County was expected to receive about 3 inches of rain, with about 4.5 inches expected in Suffolk County.

"This can cause some flooding but nothing catastrophic — if this track remains," Cuomo said.

Winds on Long Island were expected to be around 40 miles per hour with gusts up to 75 miles per hour, Cuomo said. Still, the governor added, there were serious storm surges to consider, with 3-to-5 feet surges expected in the Long Island Sound and 4-to-5 feet expected in the ocean. "This is nothing to take lightly," Cuomo said.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone also spoke Sunday and said it was important to remain vigilant.

Concerns centered on the surge during high tide on the North Shore and East End, with sustained winds on the East End of 30 to 40 miles per hour and gusts of 50 to 60 miles per hour, Bellone said. Swift water boats and rescue teams stood ready to be deployed on both the North and South Forks if necessary, Bellone said.

Overnight, 20 families sought refuge in Red Cross shelters, mostly on the eastern end of the county, Bellone said.

State crews were out on beaches Sunday shoring up dunes, especially on the South Shore of Long Island, to protect shorelines, Cuomo said.

Dominic Rammuni, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office at Upton, Henri was downgraded to a "strong" tropical storm as of 7 a.m., he said.

"We are talking about heavy rainfall; that's our primary concern," he said.

The weather was expected to begin to improve late Sunday afternoon. Residents can still expect a few showers to move through the region Monday, with the system slowing down. A flood watch will remain in effect until 8 p.m. Monday night, Rammuni said.