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Times of Smithtown

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From left to right: Lt. Michael O’Connell, Michael Barasch, John Feal and Lee London. Photo courtesy Michelle Loeb

By Toni-Elena Gallo

A lawyer and former construction worker have banded together to ensure all Sept. 11 victims receive their fair share.

Michael Barasch and John Feal have worked both together and separately for years on behalf of those who suffered health complications as a result of being at or near Ground Zero during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Michael Barasch standing in front of a firefighter’s uniform, in Washington D.C. Courtesy Michelle Loeb

Barasch’s law firm — Barasch & McGarry, located half a mile from the site of the attacks — was instrumental in getting the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 passed. This act was named after former NYPD Detective James Zadroga who died from pulmonary fibrosis caused by inhaling toxins at Ground Zero. This act greatly expanded the number of people in the 9/11 community who could access health benefits.

“Less than 10% of civilians are in [the World Trade Center Health Program] and the reason that we hear most often, when I ask someone with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, why they have not enrolled yet, is that ‘I didn’t know it was for nonresponders,’” Feal said.

“People think it’s just the firefighters and cops who were able to get medical assistance. And, if they did know that they were eligible, they didn’t want to take away ‘from those firefighters and cops, because I was only a teacher at Stuyvesant High School,’ or ‘I was only an office worker at Goldman Sachs.’ They don’t realize that they are entitled to this free health care,” he continued.

The 2015 reauthorization of the act added $4.6 billion to the Victim Compensation Fund, which was originally only in place from its 2001 inception to 2004.

John Feal at Ground Zero, in 2001. Courtesy Michelle Loeb

The fund is available to compensate all eligible 9/11 victims for illness, injury or death and anyone else who was in the exposure zone between Sept. 11, 2001, and May 30, 2002.

“They’re entitled to hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation because the government assured us the air was safe to breathe down there, and it wasn’t,” Feal explained.

As for Feal’s individual story, he was a demolition supervisor who developed gangrene and sepsis after an 8,000-pound steel beam crushed his foot during cleanup on Sept. 17, 2001. As a result of his and his friends’ experiences, he established the FealGood Foundation. He played a key role in lobbying Congress to permanently extend and fully fund the Victim Compensation Fund. Their efforts culminated in the passage of the Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Compensation Fund Act, in 2019. This law guarantees funding for all eligible VCF claims, through 2090.

And these men are not done fighting yet.

New legislation sought

A bill entitled the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2024, sponsored by a bipartisan group of legislators — including Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Congressmen Andrew Garbarino (R-NY2) and Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY4) — is seeking to introduce key changes to the WTC Health Program.

A map which represents areas of Manhattan, where people can see zones in which compensation/health benefits is attainable. Courtesy Michelle Loeb

A few of these improvements include adjusting the amount of funding, according to inflation, by about 5% each; having funding reflect changes in the number of individuals enrolled in the program; giving those afflicted moved-up medical appointments; and reallocating unused funds to support ongoing health services, such as Medicare.

The men are also eager to expand the types of mental health professionals authorized to certify mental health conditions for 9/11 responders and survivors.

“Cancer’s the sexy word in the 9/11 community,” Feal said. “But, PTSD should be on everybody’s autopsy and death certificate. In 2005, the Surgeon General said post-traumatic stress disorder is a physical injury. PTSD does not allow you — your immune system — to fight cancers. It’s physical and mental stress on the body. And, we don’t talk about PTSD enough, because cops and firefighters, and all of these macho tattoo, bearded construction workers, don’t like to discuss it, but it’s not a stigma.”

Feal and Barasch have achieved a number of legislative wins and express that they don’t intend to start losing now.

“Now, while we do have enough money until 2027, we don’t want to wait until 2027. We are going to get this bill passed this year. Senator Gillibrand, Senator Schumer, the other advocates — the congressmen from Long Island — I don’t discriminate whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican. I’m 19 for 19 on getting legislation passed, and I’m not about to fail,” Feal explained. 

“Tens of thousands of people rely on our help, and the number of people with various types of cancers and illnesses rises by the year,” he added.

Both Feal and Barasch told how the funding they are pursuing will allow more illnesses to be recognized by the health program, as well as help with medical research into the conditions.

According to Barasch, “We lose two clients every day at my firm — all from 9/11 cancers. And, it is so heartbreaking. I’m so frustrated that more people aren’t taking advantage of these two programs, because we take this so personally, and not just because we made all these trips to Washington. Two of my paralegals died of 9/11 illnesses. Four others in my office, including me, are cancer survivors.” (Barasch has been diagnosed with prostate and skin cancer.)

On Sept. 14, Feal will be holding a memorial ceremony at the 9/11 Responders Remembered Park in Nesconset, while Barasch will be speaking at a candlelight vigil in New Jersey located at Liberty State Park, Jersey City.

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'Holtzman Family Farm' by Scott Hartman
'Low Tide at Sunken Meadow' by Syd Glasser
'Tasking for Mollusk' by John Mansueto
'Council Creek Park, Portland Oregon' by Jessica Reba
'I'm in the Clouds' by Robert Tuska
'Pond at the Stony Brook campus' by Myungja Anna Koh

Up next at the Mills Pond Gallery in St. James is the juried exhibit, Our Relationship to the Land —  seeing the natural world through artistic inspiration. The show, presented by the Smithtown Township Arts Council, opens on Sept. 7 and runs through Oct. 11. Guest curator Steven Baroumis selected 84 works for the exhibition.

“We know that art has the potential to shape our world — art can be credited  with creating social movements and even making revolutionary changes in society. In this exhibit the artwork gives a voice to those who created it to speak about the Land and their connection to it. We present this exhibition as an invitation to the public to connect with and appreciate the beauty of the land, recognize its fragility and work to protect it,” said Allison Cruz, executive director of the Smithtown Township Arts Council and Mills Pond Gallery.

Exhibiting artists include Avrel Menkes, Barry Feuerstein, Bernice Corbin, Bob Stone, Cliff Miller, Daniel van Benthuysen, Diane Maniscalco, Diane Motroni, Dominique Treboux, Elizabeth Courtney, Felicia Montfort, Frederic Mendelsohn, George Junker, Gerry Hirschstein, Gisela Skoglund, Hillary Serota Needle, James Kelson, Jan Guarino, Jennifer DeMory, Jessica Rybak, Joan Branca, Joan Rockwell, Joan Schwartzman, John Mansueto, John Morris, John Taylor, Joseph Weinreb, Joyce Bressler, Judy Pagano, Judy Stone, Karin Dutra, Kathee Shaff Kelson, Linda Hartman, Lyla Petroske, Lynn Kinsella, Lynn Staiano, Madeline Stare, Margaret Governale, Marianne Andresen-Magin, Mark Levine, Marsha Abrams, Mary Kiernan, Mary Waka, Mary Ann Vetter, Merle McGarrett, Michelle Kramer, Mike Stanko, Monica Rich, Myungja Anna Koh, Pat Forie, Patty Yantz, Paul Edelson, Renee Caine, Rhoda Angelier, Rita Broughton, Robert Roehrig, Robert Tuska, Robert Wallkam, Ron Becker, Sally Anne Keller, Samantha Kenny, Scott Hartman, Shain Bard, Susan Guihan Guasp, Syd Glasser, Terence McManus, Theresa Graff, Tyler Hughes, Valerie Farrugia, Victoria Beckert, Vivian Gattuso and Vivien Pollack.

The public is invited to an opening reception on Saturday, Sept. 7 from 1 to 4 p.m. to meet the exhibiting artists and view their work. 

Mills Pond Gallery is located at 660 Route 25A in St. James. Regular gallery hours are Wednesdays to Fridays from 10 am. to 4 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.  Admission to the gallery is always free. For more information or directions, call 631-862-6575 or visitmillspondgallery.org.

Images courtesy of Mills Pond Gallery

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File photo by Raymond Janis

Vote for democracy this November

My car has a single bumper sticker supporting a Democratic candidate. On Sunday, I was driving home from doing some shopping. For the second time in a little over a week, a motorcyclist behind me at a stop light cursed and threatened me.

He called me un-American and threatened to vandalize my car. How can anyone believe that threatening to vandalize someone’s car because of the candidate that they support is consistent with our country’s values?

Neighbors, whatever party you belong to, I beg you this November to vote for the candidate who will protect our democracy. I have to believe that the vast majority of us, regardless of party affiliation, don’t want to live in the sort of country that some motorcyclists would like to create.

Rachel Kreier

Port Jefferson

Balancing restoration with resilience

I join county Legislator Steve Englebright [D-Setauket] in favoring the restoration of the iconic Stony Brook Mill Pond.

As the interim president of the Frank Melville Memorial Foundation, custodians of the dams and Setauket Mill Ponds, I thank Steve for his mention of our ponds and the credit given to our dam’s construction [“Perspective: Restore and protect Stony Brook Mill Pond,” TBR News Media, Aug. 29]. 

I would add to the story, however, when Steve says that we were subjected to the same storm event as the Stony Brook Mill Pond. While it is likely that we shared the same amount of water and climate violence as Stony Brook, we were the beneficiaries of a years-long Save The Ponds campaign in which we lobbied for the installation of the recharge basin at Detmer Farm (thank you, Suffolk County) and a cascade system to slow the runoff of rainwater from Main Street, Old Field Road and Christian Avenue (thank you, Town of Brookhaven) and yes, even Route 25A (thank you, New York State).

While our focus was on restoration of the ponds, the first stop, led by Chuck Hamilton — then a member of our board and a former regional enforcement officer for DEC — was to identify and address root causes. In our case, there was too much road runoff, sand and dirt flowing into our ponds.

Add to this that we have done a series of engineering assessments. The most recent of these was performed by Thomas O’Dwyer of HomePort Engineering who donated his services and was led by Robert Reuter, one of our board members and a past president. Our dam and sluiceway were reinforced under Robert’s oversight within the last two years. 

So yes, I vote to restore the Stony Brook Mill Pond, but not without a plan to manage the velocity and volume of water running down 25A and not without a commitment to inspect and maintain the dam itself.

Timothy Glynn

South Setauket

Restoring our roots

I am writing in response to Kurt Johnsen’s enjoyable and nostalgic guest column [“Stony Brook Mill Pond — a warm childhood memoir,” TBR News Media, Aug. 29]. His writing was both informative and captivating.

One can easily picture a somewhat different time in our not-too-distant past. For all that must have changed, much has remained. Three Village continues to share a strong sense of community along with the bucolic landscapes that fill our windshields from school pickups to grocery shopping to visits with friends.

The disasters at the Stony Brook Mill Pond and along Harbor Road are indeed impressive, in the scariest sense, especially when visited in person. Happily there was no loss of human life. Considering our hometown has been unique since the very beginning as explained by Mr. Johnsen, I am hopeful that our sense of place helps us restore what was lost and build something lasting for our children and grandchildren to share with their families and create memories not so different from the ones made nearly 60 years ago.

Mr. Johnsen would also be pleased to know there are wood ducks which frequent the Mill Pond. I do not know if they nest in the boxes he built all those years ago, but it’s not impossible to think his hope-filled project changed the trajectory of this particularly stunning waterfowl.

Rebuilding gives us an opportunity to do something special and future-focused. Thank you for inspiring us.

Craig Beale

Setauke

Trying to enjoy peace at Cedar Beach

People come to the beach for many reasons: fresh air, the scenery or to escape their problems. None of which can be enjoyed with you sitting in your car with the windows rolled up, while you scroll on your phone. It makes no sense! If you don’t want to enjoy all that our wonderful Island has to offer, fine. But, you not only get in your own way, but you ruin it for others.

I’ve gone to Cedar Beach in Mount Sinai to see the sunset several times this summer and without fail there’s someone doing this very thing. With their car running! It’s late in the season, late in the day so it’s not hot and yet people pull in with their windows rolled up.

Unfortunately, I cannot walk to the shore because of health reasons. So I sit on the beach right by the parking lot, away from the noisy Beach Club. I try to enjoy some peace on our beautiful beach.

But I can’t.

I didn’t come here to listen to your engine or to smell your car’s exhaust. So let me ask: Why are you here?

Deniz Yildirim

Port Jeff Station

Come meet Sarah Anker

If you’ve been asked to vote for Sarah Anker as your next New York State senator for District 1 and your answer is that you don’t know who she is, here is your chance to learn more about her.

Come meet Sarah on Saturday, Sept. 7, at 12:30 at The Shoppes at East Wind, Suite T, Wading River. Hear what supporters have to say about her, pick up literature and lawn signs, and eat some pizza. Of course, if you want to help reach out to voters, consider volunteering to help spread Sarah’s message. There’s a lot to be done between now and Nov. 5.

You can help canvas/knock on doors; make phone calls either from home or the office; reach out to your friends or people in your network, sharing with them why they should vote for Sarah; help with voter registration; getting lawn signs to put in your yard; or any other way you can think of to help Sarah become your next state senator.

On Nov. 5 it is crucial that you vote for those national candidates that will secure our democracy. Sarah will work for that goal and so much more. She will do what she’s done as a county legislator — she will have our backs.

So, come meet someone who will protect everyone’s rights. For more information about Sarah, go to her website at www.sarahanker.com. She will continue to put people over politics.

Ernestine Franco

Sound Beach

WRITE TO US … AND KEEP IT LOCAL 

We welcome your letters, especially those responding to our local coverage, replying to other letter writers’ comments and speaking mainly to local themes. Letters should be no longer than 400 words and may be edited for length, libel, style, good taste and uncivil language. They will also be published on our website. We do not publish anonymous letters. Please include an address and phone number for confirmation. Email letters to: [email protected] or mail them to TBR News Media, P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733

 

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Fire departments from Wading River to Mount Sinai came to the 9/11 Community Memorial in Shoreham Sept. 11, 2019 to commemorate that fateful day. Photo by Kyle Barr

By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

September 11th is not just another day.

The country, and the world, stood still for hours, horrified and stunned by the mass murder committed by terrorists in Manhattan, Washington DC and in a field in Western Pennsylvania.

We can focus on the bravery of the first responders that day, on the remarkable effort by the passengers aboard Flight 93 to retake the plane, the loss of 2,977 people, and the passage of time since that horrible day.

We can also consider the incredible generosity and sensitivity of the country in the days, weeks and months afterwards. I know that didn’t apply to everyone and I remember how taxi drivers from mostly Muslim countries put bumper stickers on their cars indicating they were proud Americans. I also recall the unfair and horrific questioning of people who looked different or who might have originally come from Saudi Arabia or any neighboring countries.

Still, in the wake of a day that also lives in infamy, people gave of themselves and their time.

My family, which included our then three-month old daughter and my wife, walked to an upper east side fire station that lost several members when the World Trade Center collapsed.

There, we saw other people in our community who were bringing toys, pies, gifts and money to the department. The members of the fire station, whom we thanked, forced appreciative smiles on their faces and, more often than not, comforted many community members who choked out heartfelt words of thanks to the station’s survivors.

Outside the station, a car from one of those killed that day was barely visible under an enormous collection of flowers.

Prior to 9/11, I had spent considerable time writing about banks and financial services companies. I had a particular and lasting connection with several members of the boutique firm Keefe, Bruyette & Woods.

KBW provided research and investment banking services for a range of banks. In the months after the attack and the loss of lives, banks made sure to include KBW on investment banking deals, trying to help the survivors and the firm stay in business.

On Long Island, a range of companies donated construction materials to create lasting memorials to the people lost on that day, while offering families a place to go to reflect on the people they were fortunate enough to know.

The frenetic city that never sleeps entered a grieving cycle in which people implicitly knew the rules. A collection of cars passing by with their lights on behind a hearse required people always in a hurry to make way.

Despite the need to do things yesterday, to get somewhere faster than everyone else and to beat people’s own records in traveling from one place to another, people stood by, slowed down and made supportive eye contact with those who were putting up pictures of lost loved ones.

As we drove along the roads around New York City, we saw the efficient removal of debris from the World Trade Center site, with twisted metal and concrete sitting on passing flat bed trucks. Cars made room on highways for these huge trucks and turned on their lights in support and sympathy.

In a more insular way, many of us checked on our friends and family, setting aside ongoing familial disagreements.

I remember watching the video of President George W. Bush (41), who had lost the popular vote in 2000 to Al Gore but had won the election on the strength of the final recount in Florida. He was sitting in a classroom when the secret service whispered in his ear about the attacks. He seemed to take a long time to process what he heard.

Yes, people wondered where he went and what was happening with the center of government power and yes, some criticized him even as they flocked to the Churchillian resolve of Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who somehow symbolized the combination of pain and determination in the days after the attack.

People wanted to help each other, donating, volunteering and coalescing around the notion of a country in need of healing and recovery.

Many of the most helpful and supportive moments reflected the strength of a unified nation with a readiness to set aside political squabbles to defend the country. In our darkest moment, we gave flowers, food, support and respect.

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Pixabay photo

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief,
Publisher

My last birthday, which we celebrated a couple of weeks ago, has been rough. But I am expecting a turn of fortune for the better, because bad things come in threes, and now I’ve experienced all three. Sharing the miseries generally makes one feel better, so here goes.

The first started off happily enough. 

I had been invited to a wedding reception in Maine. Now any excuse to go to Maine is a wonderful happening, in my mind, and it’s not just for the blueberry jam and the lobster rolls. The state is physically beautiful, with a shoreline that has attracted artists over the centuries. To go there in August is to get away from the heavy heat of summer. It is also no cultural sacrifice since summer stock and art galleries are to be found in many of the small towns and cities. Good museums too.

So we packed up the car and left a day early to have some exploratory time before the party. In our roaming, we met people from all over the country who had come with the same idea about vacationing in the northernmost New England State. When we arrived at our destination, we remembered and ate in a couple of our favorite restaurants and also enjoyed socializing with the 140 wedding guests as well as with others at the hotel over the Bacchanal weekend.

So far, so good, right?

When we returned home, as a result of all that socializing, we found we had brought an unwelcome guest back with us: a tenacious microbe that had taken up residence in our upper respiratory anatomy. Whether bacteria or virus, it has so far withstood two different antibiotic assaults and still troubles us with deep seated coughs. This was alarming because the family was arriving immediately upon our return to celebrate my birthday, and we didn’t want to share the bug. But that was just the first of the three miseries.

The morning of my birthday dawned sunny and warm, so we sat on the wooden back deck and ate breakfast. At one point, I had to blow my nose and stepped away from the table, walking the length of the deck to do so. Turning back, I stepped on one of the narrow boards in exactly the right way to cause it to fall through the deck, along with my left leg. It happened, as they say, like a bolt from the blue, and I fell backwards and screamed. It took two family members to extricate me, and I bear the discoloration and contusions on both sides of my lower leg as it heals. If you should see me around town, that explains my limp and wince as I walk.

Somehow, I was most outraged by the fact that it happened on my birthday. “My” day shouldn’t have started off that way.

The irony of the story is that the carpenter was scheduled to come to repair the deck the Monday after my children were to leave. He had offered to do the job the week before, but I didn’t want repairs to mar the family visit, and besides, I was away in Maine so I had put him off. Whoops, bad timing. A further irony is that I had placed a flowerpot on the bad board to prevent anyone stepping there, but it had been moved just before our return from Maine. Was this an accident fated to happen?

As to the third, I was driving to a dinner date last night when I realized a migraine was about to hit me. It always starts with a visual aura, in which zigzagging lines cross my vision much as, in the early days, a television screen used to break up when there was a disturbance overhead. I don’t get them often, but they are most unpleasant when they are triggered, this time perhaps by the medicines I am taking. 

Three and done, now, I hope. Thanks for letting me vent. 

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Metro Creative Connection

You are probably tired of hearing about last week’s storm.

It was catastrophic, terrible, disturbing and all-around, a complete and utter drag.

But, it is so incredibly important to remember that this Earth is precious, and should not be taken lightly. Storms like this serve as stark reminders of the fragility of our planet, and how it can be struck with disaster, at the blink of an eye.

We know you have all heard this before, but it is vital to care about our home. And, not just in Stony Brook or Port Jefferson or Rocky Point or Smithtown or Centereach. We need to nurture our Long Island home. Our waterways. Our wildlife. Even our infrastructure.

If we are to experience natural disasters, the last thing our planet needs is plastic bottles thrown onto the curb, incessant pipe exhaust and muck-ridden water. Everything in life is a chain reaction. If we show indifference to our atmosphere, the climate will change. If our animals swim in filth, they will die. If they die, their terrain is permanently altered. It goes on and on.

We are not scientists, and we are not seeking to preach. However, as concerned citizens of this community, all we want is for it to thrive. To be clean and livable for all living creatures.

As that sign down in the Stony Brook Village Center says: “I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives.” But, perhaps more importantly, the full quotation continues on, “I like to see a man live, so that his place will be proud of him.”

Our planet is unpredictable enough, so let’s not add unnecessary variables to its already, sometimes devastating, whims.

So, let’s make our Earth proud.

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Firefighters train for a water rescue. Photo courtesy Setauket Fire Department
Firefighters train for a water rescue. Photo courtesy Setauket Fire Department
Firefighters train for a water rescue. Photo courtesy Setauket Fire Department
Firefighters trudge through a flooded street. Photo courtesy Setauket Fire Department
Firefighters training with a hovercraft, which they received three years ago. Since June, over 258 firefighters have taken a water rescue training course. Photo courtesy Halesite Fire Department

By Daniel Dunaief

Fire departments around Suffolk County are preparing, training and gathering equipment for the kinds of water emergencies that can require rescues from homes, cars or buildings.

Amid the sudden and intense rains that damaged parts of Stony Brook and surrounding areas, fire departments received far higher than average numbers of calls for help from residents.

“People used to tell stories [about heavy storms and flooding] every few decades,” said David Sterne, District Manager in the Setauket Fire District. “Now, we’re seeing it every few years.”

Fire departments including in Stony Brook, Setauket, Commack and Port Jefferson responded to dozens of calls for help through the evening as towns like Stony Brook received more than three times the normal amount of rain for the month of August in the hours after midnight.

“We handled over 54 alarms” on the overnight of the storm, said Sterne. The department, which encompasses a 28 square mile district, responds to an average of three calls per night. “It was pretty obvious that it was more than a regular rainstorm.”

The dispatchers, who handle calls for Setauket, Stony Brook and Port Jefferson, received over 70 alarms among the three departments.

Amid the potential for water rescues and emergencies that could occur far more frequently than in the past, fire departments and county officials have increased training and added various types of equipment that can offer assistance during water emergencies.

“We’ve got to be prepared for everything,” said Chief Dominic Spade of the Halesite Fire Department in the Town of Huntington. Halesite added a hovercraft about three years ago that doesn’t use a submerged engine and can travel through shallow waters to homes or stranded motorists.

Additional training

In anticipation of additional water-related emergencies, Suffolk County firefighters and rescue teams have been training for sudden heavy rains and storms.

The county started offering two new courses in water rescue this year: Water Rescue Awareness and Surface Water Rescue. Since June, the Suffolk County Fire Academy has trained 258 firefighters, according to Rudy Sunderman, Suffolk County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services Acting Commissioner.

“Responders from Stony Brook, Rocky Point, and Port Jefferson, areas that were hardest hit by last week’s storms, were among many members who took the training,” Sunderman explained in an email.

The Suffolk County Urban Search and Rescue Team, which is made up of volunteer first responders capable of deploying up to 40 members, was established in 2012 and was created “to locate, extricate and provide immediate medical treatment to victims trapped in collapsed structures, and to conduct other life-saving operations,” Sunderman added.

Over the last three months, the USAR Team has focused specifically on water rescue incidents.

In addition, numerous local fire departments have improved their water rescue capabilities.

The Setauket Fire Department has sent members of its staff to Oriskany in New York, where people from all over the Empire State receive training for specific types of rescues.

Oriskany has “all types of specialized training,” said Sterne. The facility has a simulated town that they can flood, where rescue teams practice open and swift water responses.

“In the last four to five years, we’ve been sending people on a more regular basis” to Oriskany, said Sterne. “It’s definitely becoming more normal to have massive flooding in certain areas.”

The rescue teams that can’t attend the simulations in Oriskany still benefit from the classes their colleagues take.

“People come back and impart what they learned,” said Sterne. “When making split second decisions, it’s effective” to have considered various emergency measures during flood or surging waters.

Water rescues involve conditions that don’t often have the same challenges as rescues during snowstorms or other weather-related emergencies.

Heavy snow can cover signs or other sharp objects, while people maneuvering through flood waters can tear their protective gear or hurt themselves when they bump into or step on something they can’t see through dark waters.

“Broken street signs and sharp objects might become a real hazard to responders,” said Sterne. “Floor waters can, in many ways, become more dangerous.”

Emergency officials warned about the dangerous combination of water and electricity.

“One of our biggest concerns is when electricity mixes with water,” Sterne explained. “In those situations, our primary focus is to remove people from unsafe conditions when there is flooding mixed with live electricity.”

When a primary or secondary wire falls into water, “it’s a dangerous proposition” and “everything is charged,” said Spada.

Even metallic yellow lines on the street can become charged if power is still flowing into a submerged wire.

Advice for residents

Fire officials offered several pieces of advice for residents.

For starters, don’t enter a basement or other flooded areas without ensuring that electricity has stopped in the area.

Additionally, residents should not venture out onto the road unless it’s for some essential reason.

“Stay put,” Sterne urged. “Don’t become a liability yourself.”

That’s also true during snowstorms, as people leave their homes and block snow plows from efforts to clear the road.

Families should consider emergency locations to congregate, with back up plans if and when they need to leave the house.

Residents also might want to have an accessible bag with flashlights stocked with new batteries, clean clothing and jackets in case an emergency requires an evacuation, Spada suggested.

People trapped in cars should stay there until it’s not safe, Spada suggested. If necessary, they can climb onto the roof of the car and wait for a rescue.

Effective emergency response

Spada was impressed with the quick thinking and acting on the part of several fire departments in response to the stalled, heavy rainstorm.

“Stony Brook did a great job,” Spada said. “Sometimes, you need to improvise in these rescue situations.

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By John Avlon

This past week’s extreme weather is yet another wake-up call that we can’t afford to ignore. 

Touring the damage in Port Jefferson village, the devastation was striking, but let’s be honest — none of this should surprise us anymore. We’ve seen it before, and it’s clear we need to do more. The federal government has got to step up, which is why I’ll work to make sure that we deliver more relief and resilience for our communities in the face of natural disasters. 

The first step is a significant boost in funding for FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant program. BRIC isn’t just another government acronym — it’s a crucial resource for states, local communities, tribes and territories to tackle hazard mitigation head-on, reducing disaster risks before they strike. The goal is simple: Stop reacting after disasters and start building resilience now. 

BRIC is currently funded by a 6% set-aside from major disaster declarations, meaning the funding is inconsistent and not guaranteed. While the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act committed $1 billion to BRIC over five years, that’s just a drop in the bucket. That’s why I’m advocating for an annual $1 billion investment in BRIC. To be serious about this issue, we need to make serious investments.

This investment isn’t just smart policy — it pays off big time. The National Institute of Building Sciences reports that every federal dollar spent on hazard prevention saves society $6. That’s a return on investment that would make Wall Street jealous.

But we can’t stop there. There’s a glaring gap in FEMA eligibility that needs to be addressed. Condos, co-ops and homeowners associations are excluded from aid because FEMA classifies them as businesses. That’s absurd. These are middle-class housing options that deserve relief like everyone else. 

I saw it firsthand at a homeowners association I visited in Port Jefferson, where a landslide wreaked havoc after the rain. This gap has been well known since Hurricane Sandy, and it’s time to fix it.

Send me to Congress, and I’ll fight to bring real resources home and tackle climate change with the urgency it demands. The time for action is now.

John Avlon is Democratic candidate for New York Congressional District 1 on Nov. 5.

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File photo

Suffolk County Police arrested a man on Sept. 1 under Leandra’s Law for allegedly driving while intoxicated in Smithtown with an 11-year-old child in the vehicle.

Terrance Brown was driving a 2003 Nissan Altima westbound on Veterans Memorial Highway with his girlfriend and her 11-year-old son in the vehicle when he went through a red light at the intersection of Old Willets Path and nearly crashed into a marked Suffolk County Police Third Precinct Patrol vehicle traveling southbound at approximately 9:15 p.m.

The officers in the police vehicle pulled the Nissan over and determined Brown was intoxicated. It was also determined that the license plates on the Nissan had previously been reported stolen.

Brown, 45, of Jamaica, Queens was charged with alleged Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated with a Child Passenger 15 Years Old or Younger (Leandra’s Law), Endangering the Welfare of a Child, and Criminal Possession of Stolen Property 5th Degree.

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By Steve Englebright

In the dark early morning hours of Aug. 19, almost 11 inches of rain descended like a cataract upon the central North Shore of Long Island. The storm then crossed into Connecticut where it killed two people and destroyed numerous bridges and roads.

The paved roads and impermeable surfaces within the catchment of Stony Brook Mill Pond caused it to immediately flood. This deluge then spilled over the top of that part of Harbor Road which capped the artificial earthen dam adjacent to the National Register of Historic Places-listed circa 1751 mill. Floodwater poured uncontrollably over the road, creating a thunderous curtain that plunged into the marine side of the dam, quickly and severely eroding its base. The dam failed, and the pond emptied catastrophically into Stony Brook Harbor.

The boundaries of two towns, one incorporated village and one hamlet all meet at this location. In the aftermath of this catastrophe, it is important for each of these governing units as well as all other elements of the community to quickly come together in support of a single plan of restorative action. Fortunately, President Joe Biden has heeded the call of local governments, including Suffolk County, to declare this site a federal disaster area. Much-needed federal dollars may now follow. This precious funding can be wisely utilized, presuming that everyone is cooperating. One of the challenges now before all of us is to find commonality and consensus. In particular, we must reconcile the interests of historic preservation and environmental protection so that they are aligned and mutually supportive within a thoughtfully engineered plan.

Some have wondered if it may be appropriate to leave the breached dam unreconstructed purposefully. Several threshold questions arise from this thought: 

• Should we allow the recently unconstrained Stony Brook Creek to continue to flow freely and allow recovery of natural processes such as the breeding activities of the herring-like fish known as the alewife? 

• What course of action would provide the greatest overall environmental benefit? 

• Would the nationally significant cultural treasure that is the Stony Brook Grist Mill have diminished relevance without its historic impoundment?

 Reasons for restoration

This author would argue strongly for restoration of Stony Brook Mill Pond for reasons that embrace both environmental and historic preservation purposes. These include:

• More than 90% of the Stony Brook Harbor is tidally-influenced salt water. Freshwater habitats within the harbor are rare and enhance its biodiversity. Prior to the dam’s breach, the largest surface freshwater feature of the entire harbor was Stony Brook Mill Pond. Allowing this scarce resource to remain permanently reduced would significantly subtract from this ecosystem’s vibrancy and health.

• The Stony Brook Mill Pond Basin uniquely joins Main Street with the Avalon Preserve — arguably the finest nature center in New York state. This geographic juxtaposition created a remarkable outdoor education classroom that enabled thousands of children and families to directly experience nature. It would be most unfortunate to compromise or lose the open water and aesthetic appeal of this site which could, if restored, continue effectively to foster for each next generation an ethic of learning and respect for the environment. 

• The Mill Pond helped keep the Stony Brook Harbor clean. This relatively-unspoiled harbor’s water chemistry was maintained, in part, by the fact that the Mill Pond acted as a sediment trap and contaminant settlement basin that intercepted substances in road runoff that would otherwise have flowed directly into the harbor. 

• The continued existence of two significant rookeries on the edge of Stony Brook Mill Pond featuring, respectively, cormorants and herons would be uncertain if the pond is not restored.

• While some fish species, such as alewife, might theoretically benefit from a free flowing Stony Brook, it is unknown if this site would support a significant run for such fish. 

• Suffolk County’s largest industry is tourism, and Stony Brook Mill Pond and Grist Mill combine to create a major magnet attracting and welcoming visitors to Old Stony Brook and its vicinity. Any decision to delay reconstruction of the Mill Pond dam could compromise the sense of place of Old Stony Brook. Loss of these landmarks in pursuit of limited or speculative environmental improvements could create significant community resentment, which would only detract from other preservation efforts

Reconstruction of Harbor Road and Mill Pond dam

It is useful to note that the dam at the north end of Setauket’s Frank Melville Memorial Park was subjected to the same storm event and did not rupture. The apparent reason for this is because that dam is armored with cement on its seaward side. Reconstruction of Harbor Road at Stony Brook Mill Pond should proceed expeditiously and be built in like kind to what was there previously except that the reconstructed dam should be armored on its seaward-side in a manner similar to the construction of its sister site in the Frank Melville Memorial Park.

We are fortunate that this event did not cause loss of human life, and that our volunteer first responders were unharmed. Another takeaway from this catastrophe is that its effects would have been worse if the proposed extensive construction of impermeable surfaces already existed on three large properties in the immediate watershed area, i.e., Flowerfield, Bull Run Farm and a former private school.

This ruinous flood should be a wake-up call for planners as they consider these and other intensive development proposals within the immediate watershed of Stony Brook Harbor and its Mill Pond. Going forward, this recent flood event should be top of mind — land use decisions here should reflect awareness, restraint and caution. Although we can hope that the unusual storm that eroded the Mill Pond dam at its base is not a new normal, exceptionally destructive weather events are occurring much more frequently than in the past. A similar torrential flood could occur at any time.

We should restore Stony Brook’s historic Mill Pond and, by extension, also preserve that extraordinary harbor and its namesake community.

Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) is the Suffolk County legislator for the 5th Legislative District and a former New York State Assemblyman.

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