SCHUMER: AFTER SANDY’S DESTRUCTION, SEASIDE COMMUNITIES ON STATEN ISLAND IN NEED OF IMMEDIATE STORM PROTECTION; CALLS ON FEMA TO ASSIGN ARMY CORPS TO REPLENISH BEACHES TO PROTECT STATEN ISLANDERS FROM FUTURE STORMS
Staten Island Beaches from South Beach to Oakwood Beach Lost Up To 20 Feet of Sand After Sandy Hit the Coast
Beaches Serve as Natural Storm Barrier in the Event of Hurricane; Without Dunes and Sand, Staten Islanders Vulnerable to Future Storms
Senator Calls for Short-Term Protective Measures, Including Dunes and Beach Nourishment, to Protect Communities from Future Destruction While Longer Term Protections are Still Being Built
Yesterday. U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer called on FEMA to formally assign the Army Corps of Engineers to prioritize storm protection projects, including beach berms, dunes, and temporary sea walls, on Staten Island’s shoreline after the protective beaches were destroyed by Superstorm Sandy. The neighborhoods of South Beach, Midland Beach, New Dorp Beach and Oakwood Beach are in dire need of beach sand, which serves as a natural storm barrier in the event of another storm or hurricane. Recently, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) asked the Army Corps of Engineers to analyze emergency protective measures that could be taken to fortify the coast line. Schumer today called on FEMA and the Army Corps to move forward with protective measures necessary to protect life and property along Staten Island’s shoreline.
“Residents in communities like South Beach, Oakwood Beach and Midland Beach should not be left vulnerable in the event of a future natural disaster, and we must do everything to ensure their protection,” said Schumer. “Superstorm Sandy scraped away the barriers that were there before and they must be replaced. The Army Corps must begin replenishment projects like adding sand and dunes along the shoreline so that these communities are not flooded if another hurricane hits our region.”
The shoreline communities on Staten Island, including South Beach, Midland Beach, New Dorp Beach and Oakwood Beach, were devastated after Superstorm Sandy. The beaches along the coast have been destroyed, and lost between ten to twenty feet of sand in length and four to six feet of sand in height. At FEMA’s request, the Corps of Engineers is currently considering short-term protective measures like a temporary sea wall along Father Capadonno Boulevard and replenishing devastated South Shore beaches.
The Stafford Act provides FEMA the authority to take short-term action in conjunction with the Army Corps of Engineers to provide protection to vulnerable communities. Beach nourishment would provide Staten Island’s beaches with additional sand, protecting communities and structures along the beach in the event of a future storm.
Schumer today called FEMA to mission assign the Army Corps of Engineers to begin beach nourishment projects along Staten Island’s shoreline so that communities are protected while a long-term project, like a sea-wall, is being considered. Schumer explained that added sand and dunes would protect the communities of South Beach and Midland Beach in the event of a future storm.
Schumer’s letter to FEMA and the Army Corps can be found below:
Mr. W. Craig Fugate
Administrator
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Lt. General Thomas P. Bostick
Chief of Engineers
Army Corps of Engineers
Dear Administrator Fugate and Lt. General Bostick,
I understand that FEMA has asked the Corps of Engineers to analyze emergency protective measures that could be taken to fortify the coastline before the next hurricane season, which could involve temporary sea walls and beach nourishment in Staten Island. As you know, the Stafford Act provides FEMA the authority to take short-term action in conjunction with the Corps to provide protection to vulnerable communities. I am pleased that FEMA is thinking outside-the-box to protect life and property in Staten Island in the interim period before we can build out the federally authorized South Shore protection project recently funded by the supplemental relief legislation.
I would respectfully request that you consider a beach nourishment protection project along the south shore communities of South Beach, Midland Beach, New Dorp Beach, Oakwood Beach, Crescent Beach Park, Tottenville Beach and Wolfe’s Pond Park Beach as a high priority during your review. The beaches, which provide natural storm protection for these communities, suffered severe sand displacement. The beaches lost between ten to twenty feet of sand in length and four to six feet of sand in height leaving many neighborhoods vulnerable to another storm surge.
I look forward to hearing from you. Please contact my Washington, D.C. if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Schumer
U.S. Senator