The Town of East Hampton received $2.5 million from the state on August 9 for the Ditch Plains Beach project to restore the beach and provide safe recreational space for residents and visitors. The funding was announced ahead of an anticipated ‘above average’ hurricane season and builds on the governor’s comprehensive resilience plan to protect New Yorkers from extreme weather events.
“Protecting New Yorkers is my top priority, and that’s why we are making critical resiliency investments that ensure our communities, homes and infrastructure on Long Island are protected for decades to come,” Governor Kathy Hochul said. “While we continue our nation-leading efforts to combat the climate crisis, we are safeguarding communities on Long Island from the extreme storms that continue to batter our coastline.”
Scheduled for this fall, after the peak summer period, this second phase of beach restoration efforts builds on work conducted by the Town of East Hampton earlier in the summer and will recover the dunes to protect the Ditch Plain neighborhood from breaches, flooding, and damage to homes and infrastructure. Dunes recovery will ensure the recovery of the coastline and will be completed by the engineering firm Coastal Science & Engineering, Inc.
Earlier in the summer, the Town of East Hampton selected Southampton Excavation and Site Development, LLC, to undertake sand replacement efforts on Ditch Plains Beach. That work was completed in June.
This funding is announced ahead of an anticipated ‘above average’ hurricane season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) outlook for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which spans from June 1 to November 30, predicts an 85% chance of an above-normal season, a 10 percent chance of a near-normal season and a 5 percent chance of a below-normal season. NOAA is forecasting a range of 17 to 25 total named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher). Of those, 8 to 13 are forecast to become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 4 to 7 major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph or higher). Forecasters have a 70 percent confidence in these ranges.
Department of Environmental Conservation Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said, “Governor Hochul’s sustained investments to stabilize and support Long Island’s coastal communities will help prevent future damage at Ditch Plains Beach and other vulnerable locations from climate change’s ongoing assault on our shorelines. DEC will continue to work with our partners at all levels of government to help increase storm resiliency, reduce the impacts of flooding, and provide communities with the resources necessary to protect residents, infrastructure, and habitat.”
“This funding is extremely important and needed to bolster Montauk’s coastal resiliency against severe weather and reduce flooding,” State Senator Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) said. “The Ditch Plains project has restored the area’s beaches following catastrophic damage in recent storms and will provide greater protections for local residents from flooding and severe weather.”
Assemblymember Fred W. Thiele (D-Sag Harbor) said, “Long Island faces a direct threat from this year’s busy hurricane season. Hurricane Debby’s impacts are currently being felt from Florida to the Carolinas and beyond. It reminds us that the entire East Coast is at risk from extreme weather. … Local governments cannot face these dangers alone. Today’s partnership between state and local government will first and foremost improve public safety and also ensure that Montauk’s popular beaches, which support our local economy, will be protected.”
Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said, “As we continue to try to preserve our coastline, only government partnership will help us move that forward.”
“The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecast of between 17 and 25 named storms, an above normal number due to warmer than usual ocean temperatures, creates increased threats of coastal erosion and flooding for the beaches of South Fork, as well as the rest of Long Island’s shoreline,” Suffolk County Legislator Ann Welker (D-Southampton) said. “However, for Long Island beaches the threats to erosion are greater during the nor’easter season, typically during the winter months. This was the case during the 2023/2024 winter season when back to back nor’easters ripped sand off the downtown Montauk beaches, as well as the Ditch Plains beach. Fortunately, the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) beach renourishment for downtown Montauk was well timed and shored up the downtown beach during the late winter months. Ditch Plains, an extremely popular beach, was not part of the ACOE plan. The Town of East Hampton has contributed significant financial resources to stabilize the beach and dune system, to protect the nearly 400 homes that lie just landward of the beach at Ditch Plains. Governor Hochul’s attention to coastal resiliency is critically important and greatly appreciated by all residents of the East End and our many visitors, as our miles of sandy beaches are an enormous economic driver for the region.”
East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez added, “The importance of this funding cannot be overstated; it ensures that we can effectively restore Ditch Plains Beach, a cornerstone of Montauk, and protect our neighborhoods from the increasing threats of climate change. This investment is not just about safeguarding our beautiful beach, an economic driver for our community, but also about securing the future of the homes surrounding it. Thank you, Governor Hochul, and your team, for your persistent support and dedication to this essential cause and our Town.”
“Concerned Citizens of Montauk (CCOM) joins our government and community partners to celebrate today’s great win, which is in addition to FIMP’s massive sand replenishment of our downtown beaches this spring,” said Kay Tyler, the executive director of the Concerned Citizens of Montauk. “For more than 50 years, CCOM fought for Montauk’s land, waters, coastline and environment, and since Superstorm Sandy, CCOM has helped lead coastal resiliency efforts here. Huge gratitude to Governor Hochul and the DEC for recognizing that the problem of rapidly rising seas and increased frequency of destructive storms requires significant investment, and that sand replenishment is the first step to a long-term need for coastal adaptation for sustainable planning in Montauk. CCOM stands ready as a community partner to advance that necessary work.”
Montauk Chamber of Commerce President Leo Daunt added, “At a time of deep division nationally, we can all agree that protecting our natural assets is of the utmost importance. Sea level rise and the increasing frequency of heavy storms are an incredible threat to everyone that lives, works, and vacations in Montauk. The governor’s presence in Montauk, as well as her recent work in ensuring that the FIMP project was completed downtown, re-assures our community that the state is standing alongside us to face the incredible task of dealing with climate change. The Chamber looks forward to being a partner in addressing the immense challenge of climate change, uniting the community to find solutions, and contributing time and resources to implement them.”
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