Damage sustained at Atlantic Beach beach clubs

Updated Aug. 29 at 12:31 p.m.

Beach clubs along the Atlantic Beach shoreline sustained substantial damage due to Hurricane Irene. The Silver Point Beach was reportedly closed on Sunday for the first time in its history.

The Sun and Surf Beach Club is closed Monday and Tuesday, according to the club's voice mail message. The Plaza Beach Club is closed due to the damaged it sustained and a voice mail message says that an email will be sent to members regarding the club's reopening.

Though the Village of Atlantic Beach was fortunate not to sustain much serious damage, Mayor Stephen Mahler said a few of the village's eight beaches suffered a buildup of sand and debris that makes them unpassable and will be closed until they are cleaned up.

There are 1,291 customers without power in Lawrence, 1,738 in Woodmere, 71 in Atlantic Beach and 913 in Cedarhurst. There are now reported outages in Hewlett, 301, 44 in Hewlett Bay Park, 57 in Hewlett Harbor, 16 in Hewlett Neck, 42 in Inwood and 30 in Woosburgh.

The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) increased its number of people working in order to respond effectively. You can call 800-490-0075 to report wires down or blackouts with LIPA throughout the weekend.

County Executive Edward P. Mangano and Acting Police Commisioner Thomas C. Krumpter advise County residents that as a result of the hurricane, there are numerous downed power lines throughout the County. They may be entangled in down tree limbs. Residents should use caution and assume that all downed lines are live and pose danger of serious physical injury.

In Lawrence, Jim Rotenberg, Temple Israel's president, said he and his wife were supposed to celebrate their 44th wedding anniversary but they evacuated to a hotel on Saturday evening. They returned home Sunday afternoon to no electricity at either his home or the Temple.

"There are a lot of tree branches, debris and standing water," he said. "The temple had a few small leaks but no flooding."

There was supposed to be a wedding at Temple Israel Saturday night and another on Sunday, which were both postponed to later dates.

Hurricane Irene struck Long Island and was classified as a minimal category 1 hurricane with winds near 75 mph, but that didn't stop the storm from affecting residents as nearly 3,000 Long Island Power Authority customers are without power in the Five Towns.

Irene has been downgraded to a tropical storm, but strong winds are expected to remain throughout the day. Tornadoes are possible for Long Island and New England.

Rockaway Boulevard in Lawrence has been closed in both directions since 9:30 P.M. Saturday.