East Rockaway Board, department heads report on Hurricane Sandy

In their first official meeting since Hurricane Sandy hit, the East Rockaway Village Board, along with department and committee heads, publicly released their reports for October and November, including their responses and involvement with the storm.

“In the face of uncertainty, we can find purpose, and a renewed sense of community,” said Mayor Francis T. Lenahan as he read his statement. “Our village continues to work tirelessly by rebuilding — block by block, or house by house, if need be.”

Lenahan said that the village’s “careful planning” helped to stem many problems. He thanked the Department of Emergency Management’s James Carrigan, the East Rockaway Fire Department, the auxiliary police department, and the “people who came forward to help each other.” He noted that the majority of residents who came forward to help others were victims of the storm themselves, and said that, with the exception of his own home, which lies further north, that every village board member had flooding in their home.

He also thanked the DPW, TOH Supervisor Kate Murray, Councilman Anthony Santino, local spiritual leaders, Five-Star Gymnastics, and added that he’s been in “constant contact” with County Executive Ed Mangano and Leg. Howard Kopel regarding the Bay Park Sewage plant, which, he said, is

pumping at capacity.

Lenahan is concerned, he said, with LIPA, which he pointed out, is neither a state nor a governmental agency. “[They] answer to no one,” he said, “and that’s the problem.” There was one bright, silver lining, Lenahan said, that is that East Rockaway has a “type of small-town charm that cannot be replicate nor replaced.”