Officials: Many Homes South of Montauk May Be Uninhabitable

Lindenhurst Village officials have put out an urgent call to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for temporary housing as initial estimates indicate that up to 70 percent of homes south of Montauk Highway may be uninhabitable.

During a conference call with elected officials from across Suffolk County, Ray Fais, the Village’s emergency coordinator, said that numerous local residents are in need of housing following Hurricane Sandy’s path of destruction across Long Island.

Fais said that during the height of Sandy, the tide peaked at 7.9 feet in Lindenhurst.

Despite the devastation, Village officials reported no casualties from the storm.

As of Monday evening, a number of homes south of Montauk Highway were unreachable as flood waters remained. The stagnant water now in neighborhoods in southern Lindenhurst is polluted with home heating oil and gasoline, officials said.

Officials with the Village’s Department of Public Works reported that 17 streets had “major trees” down, and said they were waiting for the Long Island Power Authortity to remove downed wires before clearing.

As Village officials try to tackle the many problems remaining after Hurricane Sandy, school district officials are working to develop a contingency plan, given the immediate damage and long-term impacts of Sandy on local residents, said Bob Cozzetto, emergency coordinator for the Lindenhurst School District.

He said this was the first time he could remember water nearly breaching Harding Avenue Elementary School, which is located just north of Venetian Shores Park.