Hurricane Lee Sparks Town Effort To Protect Vulnerable Homes, Roads

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — With Hurricane Lee heading north, Southampton Town has been hit with high tides and the possibility of coastal flooding.

To that end, on Thursday, Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman declared a state of emergency — and in the hours since, town officials have been working tirelessly to secure vulnerable sites on the shoreline.

According to Ryan Murphy, public safety and emergency management administrator for Southampton Town, the town highway department and Suffolk County Department of Public Works worked together to fortify the dune area on a section of Dune Road in Hampton Bays, "to address the impacts of significant wash over that was occurring at that location." He added," We are hopeful that the protective action will hold up to the crashing surf and waves for the next 36 hours or so to prevent any additional overwash or any breach."

(Courtesy Southampton Town)

Schneiderman said that crews worked all day Thursday to shore up the vulnerable area on Dune Road west of Tiana Beach, where a breach was forming that morning.

"I remain concerned about wave action associated with Hurricane Lee, particularly just west of the Shinnecock Inlet," Schneiderman said. The supervisor went to the spot at high tide Thursday night and Friday to check on conditions.

"The dune there near the commercial dock is insufficient to prevent a breach," he said, with the "most destructive" wave activity late Friday through Saturday.

On Friday, Schneiderman added that the vulnerable area with a home on Dune Road was "shored up." However, he said, "I remain concerned about the east end of Dune Road near the commercial dock in Hampton Bays, where the dune is quite thin. This is the area that has had problems in the past. The wave energy is particularly strong in this location."

The town stockpiled sand nearby to prepare for Friday's night's high tide, he said.