Long Beach takes storms in stride

The hum of generators filled the air in Long Beach Monday while a few people cleared their yards of debris and many others took to the beach and boardwalk to sit, walk, talk, bike and surf.

Under yesterday Monday’s clear blue sky, Jeff Modiano prepared to go surfing.
“Look at those waves,” he said, smiling. “But you should have seen them yesterday [Sunday].”

With a pump pulling water out of his flooded basement and notices that power won’t be restored for days, surfing seemed to Modiano to be the best way to spend the day.

“This is part of living in Long Beach,” he said. “Storms are a fact of life for us and we’ll continue to deal with them. Happily. It’s a barrier Island mentality.”

The thought was echoed by City Council President Thomas Sofield Jr., who said he, too, had water in his basement and no power.

“The storm was certainly powerful, but here in Long Beach we accept these things,” he said.

Above: Paul Gillespie, chief of Long Beach lifeguards, surveys the damage from Tropical Storm Irene. He hopes to rebuild the lifeguard headquarters.