Community Corner

Village Will Assess Surge-Related Issues at Georgica, Main Beaches

Erosion and downed trees reported in village, but officials say village was spared in Hurricane Irene.

With the worst of the storm behind us, officials are assessing the damage. 

Beaches will remain closed at least until Monday due to dangerous surf conditions, but at Georgica and Main beaches the storm may have left permanent damage.

Village Deputy Mayor Barbara Borsack said the road collapse at the end of has to be assessed. "We can see the asphalt crumbled, we can see the fence is gone, but how much underneath the asphalt it went, we just don't know yet," she said. 

Find out what's happening in East Hamptonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

At , the surf breached the primary dune, according to  Police Captain Mike Tracey. He was down at the beach just as the damage began. Pieces of asphalt were hitting his truck. "You could actually feel the force of the water at the end of the roadway about an hour before it cut loose," he said. 

He said he hadn't seen that happen at Georgica since 1985.

Find out what's happening in East Hamptonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"The water was coming up over the dune, but wasn't crashing on the pavilion," Borsack said. The water actually went under the pavilion, blowing out the lattice work on the back-side, she said.

The ocean water ran down Ocean Avenue "almost meeting Hook Pond in the parking lot," Borsack added.

Village officials have to ensure that the pavilion, which does sit on piling, is structurally sound, she said. 

Still, Borsack thinks the village was "very, very lucky. It could have been much worse." 

"Really, it was the surf that was the issue. We didn't get that much rain so there wasn't much flooding" elsewhere, she said. 

Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr., who declared a state of emergency on Saturday morning, said that while rain wasn't a major factor, gusting winds have knocked down lots of trees and wires. His neighborhood lost power a few hours ago from gusting winds, he said. 

"But no one was hurt or injured in this storm" in East Hampton Town," he said. "I think we need to be thankful for that."

A tree did land on the side of the headquarters, the , on Main Street. "It came down softly," Rickenbach said. "Kudos to the DPW personnel who have taken care of it pretty much already." 

The village highway department worked through Saturday night and Sunday, keeping roads clear. 

Borsack said there was only a short period of time when the workers were pulled off the road during the height of the storm. 

"The cleanup process will start in the morning," she said. 

Rickenbach said the and did a great job, standing by and answer calls in the storm. "Our hats are off to them." 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here