N.S. relieved as Henri had minimal destruction

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Sea Cliff and Glen Head residents were able to breathe a sigh of relief Sunday as they were spared the worst impact from Tropical Storm Henri, which had been forecast to bring hurricane-force winds and cause power outages that could last for up to two weeks.

Through part of Friday and most of Saturday, forecasters predicted Hurricane Henri would strike Long Island directly, making the Category 1 hurricane the first to make landfall on Long Island since Hurricane Gloria arrived on Sept. 27, 1985.

“In preparation for the storm we made sure all chainsaws were in working order and made sure all the trucks and the ambulance had plenty of fuel,” William Koopmann, Chief of the Sea Cliff Fire Department said. “The day of the storm we had approximately 25 members on standby in the firehouse in the event of any alarms from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. Fortunately for everyone, the storm headed further west than predicted so it was primarily a rain event and produced no alarms for the volunteers.”

The storm’s track shifted multiple times in the days leading up to Sunday. Just a few days ago it had been expected to hit western parts of Cape Cod. Then it moved closer to central Suffolk County before heading back east.

“It was not a very well-organized storm due to wind shear while it was forming and the strongest winds were east of the center,” Mike Lani, founder of My Personal Weatherman, a Facebook page and mobile app that provides Long Islanders with localized forecasts and a Glenwood Landing resident said. “Long Island was spared the damaging wind gusts that could have produced tree damage and extended power outages. Additionally, the weakening of the storm also produced a lower storm surge than forecasted.”

Hurricane Henri originated as a tropical depression northeast of Bermuda on Aug. 15 before upgrading to a tropical storm later that afternoon. Henri then became a hurricane on Aug. 21 when it was less than 200 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina and— after passing north of the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, Henri began weakening and was downgraded back to a tropical storm on Aug. 22 before making landfall. Henri made landfall along the coast of Rhode Island around 12:15 p.m. on Sunday, bringing with it high winds and heavy rain that knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes and led to flash flooding from New Jersey to Massachusetts.

“I am so happy that it was not as bad as initially predicted,” Meagan McCarty of Port Washington said. “There was still some flooding here and there, but I think that most people were well-prepared.”

Even though the storm did not have as devastating of an impact on the North Shore as originally expected, Henri still produced a tremendous amount of rain with totals ranging from three to seven inches on Long Island. Henri marks the 2nd tropical system this year—Elsa being the first in July— that produced very high rainfall totals, especially in northern and western Nassau. Maximum sustained winds at landfall were 60 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Although Long Islanders were bracing for massive devastation and destruction from Henri, residents were able to peacefully enjoy the quiet, rainy day. “My family and I had a really nice rainy day, playing board games, snuggling, watching Vivo and enjoying each other’s company,” McCarty said.