Shades of Irene and Sandy poured in last month, with nine inches of rain on August 18 and 19 yielding massive damage to the Greater Long Island area–and even two deaths in Connecticut.
Suffolk County Comptroller John M. Kennedy, Legislator Leslie Kennedy, State Senator Mario R. Mattera, Suffolk County Director of Emergency Preparedness Joseph Trzepizur, Smithtown Councilwoman Lynn C. Nowick, Smithtown Superintendent of Highways Robert Murphy and Active Commissioner of Suffolk County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services Rudy Sunderman were amongst those elected officials who gathered on Monday, September 9 to thank Team Rubicon for their substantial role in the county clean-up.
“I was extremely happy to join my fellow elected officials to show our appreciation to Team Rubicon for helping families in our region who were impacted by the devastating floods that hit our region in August,” Senator Mario R. Mattera (St. James) told The South Shore Press. “Through the efforts of their Greyshirt volunteers, they are bringing hope and relief to our region and we can not thank them enough for their help.”
Founded in 2010, the Veteran-led humanitarian collective was expressly formed to respond to weather-based disasters and crises such as the latest. Their countrywide volunteer presence showed up in a big way for the county’s residents in the aftermath of the less-than-timely, wholly unwelcomed superstorm surge. Not only did its Long Island locals on the ground report in, but Rubicon volunteers coming from as North as Maine did as well.
After President Joe Biden declared a federal state of emergency in Suffolk County, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation initiated a direct request for Team Rubicon’s assistance. The organization wasted no time in getting to work; its operation was originally supposed to only last for one day, but due to the severity of the storm surge, was extended to five days.
“While many wait for the federal and state governments to get aid flowing to those impacted, Team Rubicon is working with Suffolk County officials to bring immediate assistance to our families. Our community was hit hard and Team Rubicon is delivering relief directly to our area and we could not be more thankful,” Mattera added.
Many homeowners from the North to South Shore have seen a return to normalcy after this sudden smash crept up on them weeks ago.
Still, avid hikers of dog-walking community staples like the Stump Pond-adjacent Blydenburgh County Park cannot help but be reminded of the fallout, the dam breach still very much putting a hitch in their typical trails.
“What we have seen in the last day is an ecological, environmental and economic disaster for parts of northern Suffolk County,” Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine shared in a press conference at the time of the floods. “We have to take a look at our infrastructure, catalog it, not only to repair the damage that was done, but to plan ahead so we don’t have a worse disaster in the next storm.”
As covered by The South Shore Press earlier this week, a workshop between scientists, engineers and representatives of local power and transportation utilities was held to facilitate a hyper-relevant discussion about the increasing frequency of severe weather and its impacts on infrastructure.
“The power system underpins many systems that support society,” said Martin Schoonen, Brookhaven Lab’s associate laboratory director for Environment, Biology, Nuclear Science & Nonproliferation.
Schoonen reminded attendees that while superstorms may still be relatively rare in the Northeast, heavy rains capable of disrupting services are becoming more frequent.
“Brookhaven’s research in atmospheric and climate science is crucial in understanding the climate system at a fundamental level,” he added, insisting to attendees and the public at large that though Northeast storms may be rare across history, a prospective uptick in these periods of heavy rain is both palpable, and more than capable of total disruption.