'We Will Rebuild': Powerful Storm, Flooding Leave Trail Of Destruction Across Suffolk County

On Long Island, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine issued a state of emergency on Monday, Aug. 19, after surveying flood damage caused when up to nine inches of rain fell in parts of the county overnight.

“Our longtime Mill Pond is gone. Six houses along here were damaged, their cesspools and personal belongings are now floating down this creek into the sound,” Romaine told reporters.

The Suffolk County Office of Emergency Management has received damage reports throughout the county. The emergency declaration will free up public aid to help local businesses and homeowners.

“I am signing it now to send a plea for help for the businesses and the communities and the homeowners that have been impacted by this storm,” Romaine said.

At the height of the storm, Suffolk County Police received dozens of 911 calls from drivers stranded in floodwaters and residents reporting flooded basements.

Multiple water rescues were reported in Ronkonkoma, Smithtown, St. James, and Nesconset, ABC7 reports.

In Connecticut, two women died after being swept away by flood water in separate incidents in New Haven County on Route 67 in Oxford. On Monday, they were identified as Ethelyn Joinerm, age 65, and Audrey Rostkowski, age 71, both of Oxford.

Long Island Rail Road service remained suspended east of Kings Park on Monday evening due to storm-related flooding on the Nissequogue River near Smithtown. Train service was limited between Huntington and Kings Park.

Suffolk County officials put the estimated storm damage total at approximately $25 million. The county was seeking state and federal funding to aid with cleanup.

Homeowners and business owners with storm-related damage were encouraged to report damage on this online form, established by New York State.

According to the website, information collected “may help state and local officials identify supplemental damages to develop and augment potential requests for available federal assistance programs.”

Officials noted that the form is not an application for relief programs.

Romaine said Suffolk County was committed to gathering data on where storm damage occurred and how exactly it happened.

“I don’t think we’re going to be out of the woods with the climate changing and the storms being a little bit tougher than they have been,” he said.

“We will rebuild. We will clean this up, whatever it takes. These are our communities, these are our friends, our neighbors. We are going to do what it takes to put this county back together again.”

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