We Must Never Forget Key Lessons Learned from Superstorm Sandy

8 years ago, Superstorm Sandy devastated our communities throughout Long Island. Neighborhoods were flooded, homes and businesses were destroyed, and life came to a standstill as we worked to clean up in its wake. In the aftermath, one thing became abundantly clear: the widespread destruction wrought by Sandy emphasized Long Island’s dire need to ensure our communities were better prepared for the future. 

The ever looming threat of severe weather and coastal storms is a constant reminder of how important it is to quickly move forward with resiliency projects to ensure that we as a community are best prepared for the future. From long-term stabilization projects to emergency dredging, such as projects at Shinnecock and Moriches Inlets, I’ve continued to work tirelessly to deliver on this important mission.

In that vein, we have continued to secure critical victories for our coastal communities. This year, the Fire Island to Moriches Inlet project was completed, placing an estimated 2.3 million cubic yards of sand at Davis Park, Water Island, Fire Island Pines, Cherry Grove, Point O’Woods and Ocean Bay Park to bolster these communities' storm resiliency. 

Last month, the Fire Island to Montauk Point (FIMP) project was finally authorized and continues to move forward. This massive project includes essential dredging and shoreline projects spanning 83 miles of coastline, including coastal and wetland restoration projects to reduce flooding, erosion, and storm damage, while also preserving the natural environment and habitat for wildlife. Furthermore, the Hashamomuck Cove Coastal Storm Risk Management Project in Southold was authorized to reduce coastal storm damage and protect County Road 48 - protecting critical infrastructure including nursing homes and hospitals.

These are just a few of the many NY-1 projects that have taken great strides towards bolstering our shoreline. In addition to preparing our coastlines, we must reinforce other aspects of our infrastructure as well. In the days after Superstorm Sandy, nearly 1 million Long Islanders were without electricity - some waiting almost two weeks for it to be restored. Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) was the target of much-deserved scrutiny for its inability to adequately respond to the damage caused by Sandy, ultimately resulting in members of its leadership resigning and its day-to-day operations transferred to PSEG.       

Despite taking the mantle after LIPA’s failure, it seems PSEG forgot vital lessons learned, which left them doomed to repeat some of the same mistakes. Once again, Tropical Storm Isaias just knocked out electricity for Long Islanders, some of whom waited as long as 10 days for their power to be restored. Many of these customers were told power would be restored in a couple hours or a day, which proved to be untrue. Accurate timelines are critical for Long Islanders to be able to plan accordingly. After several days without power, some customers were even told they had power while they were still without it, leaving them furious and dejected. 

Our great linemen were working hard day and night to restore power, but Long Islanders were left in the dark - literally and metaphorically -  as PSEG leadership failed to provide adequate channels of communication while downed trees and power lines posed risks to homes and businesses and those without power had to throw out hundreds of dollars in spoiled food, medication and other vital supplies.

Last week, I joined members of the Long Island Congressional Delegation in calling for an investigation into PSEG’s dismal response to Isaias. Additionally, I called for PSEG to allow its customers to file for reimbursements for products spoiled due to the outages.

While we’ve made great progress in preparing Long Island’s coastlines to bear the brunt of severe weather, more still must be done to comprehensively ensure our communities can weather future storms.

Congressman Lee Zeldin represents New York’s First Congressional District in the House of Representatives where he serves as a member of the Climate Solutions Caucus and Co-Chair of the Long Island Sound Caucus.