Fire Island receiving sand re-nourishment following years worth of damage from powerful storms
FIRE ISLAND, Suffolk County (WABC) -- Increasingly powerful storms have pummeled Fire Island the past few years, leading to mass beach erosion, but help is finally on the way.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New York District on Thursday announced the scheduled sand re-nourishment of Fire Island Pines has been expedited.
The expedited supply comes as the dunes -- protection for beachfront homes in the well-known hamlet -- have dissipated, leaving them unprotected.
Henry Tobin, who lives in one of the homes, finally feels some sense of relief.
"What I call the worst existential threat to hit the Pines in decades." Tobin told Eyewitness News. "We were one storm away from all of this property washing away."
Trap bags were installed last winter after another storm had hit and they've helped the beach heal by replenishing sand that had vanished. But more help was needed.
"The island is trying to re-adjust to this new set of conditions because the climate is changing," added Dr. J Bret Pennington, Professor of Geology and Chair of the Department of Geology, Environment, and Sustainability at Hofstra University.
The re-nourishing of the Fire Island Pines is expected to begin this fall.
"It is the first line of protection for Long Island," said Tobin. "As goes Fire Island, will eventually go Long Island."
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