One Year After Hurricane Sandy, A Local Drought Could Trigger A Long Island Wildfire

PORT JEFFERSON, N.Y. - Oct. 24, 2013 - PRLog -- As Long Islanders recover from Hurricane Sandy, an usual fall drought could trigger a potentially threatening wildfire. If the right conditions spark, Long Island could face another wildfire akin to the early spring 2012 fire in which Governor Andrew M. Cuomo declared a state of emergency for Suffolk County. Today, according to the US National Drought Monitor, Long Island is classifed as being in "Moderate Drought Conditions." Wildfire would have the potential to spread down into drought striken subsurface soils and roots, as well as up through drying shrubs and trees.

Why is Long Island a natural disaster in the making? Long Island is the longest and largest island in the contiguous United States, extending 118 miles eastward from NewYork Harbor (ref. Wikipedia). It  has miles of exposed coastline and no easy escape route for the more than seven million inhabitants. The unique Long Island Pine Barrens covering more than 100,000 acres, adds fuel to the potential for wildfire. Not to mention the ever present threat of tick-borne diseases.

In Spring 2012, I was busy volunteering on a film crew gig. The wind was whipping  and it was a dry day, but the film crew was focused on the story, the actors, and the set. When the wildfire started I read from an online source that Brookhaven National Lab called out a "signal one major emergency." Then the fire became major news. I had to drive home late that night, taking a North Shore route to avoid the fire scene.

Many local folks just don't understand how fires can travel from a nearby community to theirs. Though the Spring 2012 wildfire was several miles distant (by car) from their homes, it's not so far distant when traveling straight through open forest lands. It took many Long Islanders off guard. They pannicked.  Then during a 2013 summer emergency management seminar, I sat there equally stunned when Gary Conte, National Weather Service, said, "Hurricane Sandy and Irene were wake up calls for people that didn't know about storm surges."

To me, as a practicing Long Island naturalist, these potential and actual scenarios become internalized as common sense. To be naturally intelligent means to realize what to look out for and to be ready.  And so on your next walk outside, see beyond the fall colors. See that plants are droopy, and that the evergreens are browning and or yellowing out.  Dig down into the earth and examine soil moisture. Watch the winds and lowering afternoon humidities. Snap off a dead tree limb and feel for moisture.  Then report back to me.

Mindy Block is the founder and president of Quality Parks, a federally registered, 501(c)(3) charity since 2000. She is currently running the Quality Parks Master Naturalist  certification program (45 hours of course Work, 20 hours of guided relevant service, and meaningful homework). For more information about this rolling calendar program, contact Mindy Block at 631-473-6760, or online at: www.qualityparks.org . The program is dedicated to Raymond P. Corwin, who was influential in protecting Suffolk County’s open spaces as the first Executive Director of the Central Pine Barrens Joint Planning and Policy Commission.