By Mike Caputo
Atlantic Beach has historically escaped significant storm surges from damaging tropical systems like Hurricane Gloria in 1985, but there is always the potential of a natural disaster, something that concerns Village of Atlantic Beach Mayor Stephen Mahler.
As of press time, messages were not returned from James Callahan, commissioner of Nassau County's Office of Emergency Management and D'Amato could not be reached for comment.
The plans filed with the Town of Hempstead also reveal that five of the 20 new structures, which each have five condominium living units and an internal garage, would also be a few feet away from the Coastal Erosion Hazard Area line designated by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The Coastal Erosion Hazard Line (CEHA line) skims the back end of one of the proposed structures, which would be situated about 300 feet from the Atlantic Ocean.
According to the DEC, the CEHA line is designed to "prevent damage to nature protective features," like dunes, beaches and offshore bars, but with documented active erosion at the site, a structural hazard area line would have been included on the map, creating the need for an additional buffer.
Bill Fonda, a DEC spokesperson who talked in general terms without full knowledge of the development plans, said there is no long term documentation of erosion rates on the barrier island housing both Atlantic and Long Beach, but later mentioned that areas near the CEHA Line would not be clear of danger.
"These features - dunes, beaches, offshore bars, etc. - will in turn provide natural protection from coastal storms to the areas and buildings landward," Fonda said. "[There is] no guarantee of safety."
If there was documented erosion, an additional buffer would be determined by a calculation equal to 40 times the documented erosion rate. One of the purposes of the regulations is to ensure new construction is in a "safe distance from areas of active erosion."
Although Mahler does not have jurisdiction over the property in question because it falls within the lines of unincorporated Town of Hempstead land, he has continually voiced concerns toward the proposed development, which sits within walking distance of village lines. The plans make way for 100 more families and 233 additional vehicles, meaning more people who would need to evacuate the shoreline community in the event of a hurricane or a similar emergency.
There is only one main road - Park and Beech Street - that connects the Atlantic Beach Bridge to Long Beach. When combining the amount of residents in the Atlantic Beach and West Long Beach communities, Mahler envisioned about 10,000 people trying to get over the Atlantic Beach Bridge in the event of an emergency, suggesting that increased population would create chaos.
"The road stinks now, so I mean if people are going to keep adding population along that roadway and vehicular traffic without giving any thought to the regional planning, I don't see how you can have an emergency management plan and not be opposed to continual building a long that roadway," Mahler said. "That's the way I see it."
In the nearby City of Long Beach, the CEHA line is in the south edge of the boardwalk. Everything seaward of the boardwalk is within the zone, while the boardwalk and points north are out of the zone said Fonda.
Gary Conti, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Upton, N.Y., explained that there are many factors behind storm surges, water piled on top of the normally occurring tide that may cause erosion, including the strength of the system, winds, moon phases and tide levels. He said that Category 2 hurricanes can induce storm surge levels of 10-12 feet and that situations like these, which can also occur from major nor'easters and tropical storms, may cause local officials to resort to voluntary or mandatory evacuation.
"There is no doubt that you are looking at an area that is vulnerable if you are 300 feet from the shoreline," said Meteorologist Gary Conti of the National Weather Service in Upton, N.Y. "No doubt, you are building in a vulnerable area."
Comments about this story? MCaputo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
