Irene Causes Minimal Damage to Gay Beach Resorts

Hurricane Irene caused minimal damage to gay resorts from Delaware to Massachusetts as it lashed the Mid-Atlantic and New England over the weekend.

There were several washovers on Fire Island during high tide on early Sunday, Aug. 28, as the center of Irene passed just to the west of the beach-these include two at Sail and Nautilus Walks in Fire Island Pines. A storm surge of up to five feet on the bay inundated large swaths of Fire Island during two high tide cycles on Sunday, while the streets leading to the Sayville ferry terminal were under several feet of water at high tide. The Fire Island Pines Property Owners Association noted that the dunes along the ocean were "in good shape" after Irene.

Sayville reported a 91 mph wind gust shortly after 7 a.m. on Sunday, while high winds toppled a utility pole on Cedar Walk in the Pines. The Cherry Grove Fire Department reported that Irene caused minimal structural damage in the Grove. Andrew Kirtzman of FIP Ventures said the Blue Whale, Hotel Ciel and other Pines properties weathered the storm well outside of some torn canopies.

"It does not look like we lost a single home," Islip Town Councilwoman Trish Bergin-Weichbrodt told the Fire Island News as she surveyed Ocean Beach and other Fire Island communities on Sunday.

The Long Island Power Authority could not provide a specific timeline as to when electricity would be restored on Fire Island, but Kismet residents have begun to report to the Fire Island News that LIPA had restored their power earlier on Monday, Aug. 29. Suffolk County officials have lifted the mandatory evacuation order for Fire Island, but resumed ferry service from Sayville to the Pines and the Grove "remains contingent upon restoration of power."

A tornado damaged several homes in Lewis, Del., on Saturday, Aug. 28, as Irene lashed the Delaware coastline. Lewis is located directly to the north of Rehoboth Beach, but local residents said damage to the popular resort was minimal.

Rehoboth Beach homeowner Marc Yesberger returned to the beach from Washington, D.C., on Sunday afternoon. He said businesses in Rehoboth Beach remained boarded up as he drove into town, but they appeared ready to reopen. Yesberger said box stores along Route 1 had already reopened.

"I've seen worse damage on a regular storm than I did with this one," he told EDGE. "The house was neat, clean and tidy. I was quite surprised."

Irene forced Camp Rehoboth to postpone the Sundance 5K to Sunday, Sept. 4. The hurricane eroded portions of the beach as it passed just off shore, but Yesberger noted his house did not lose power during the storm. "It doesn't look like it was that bad," he said.

Provincetown, Mass., lost power for several hours on Sunday afternoon, but it had been fully restored by 10 p.m.

Rick Murray, general manager of the Crown and Anchor, stayed open throughout the weekend. The ferry between Boston and Provincetown suspended service ahead of Irene, and several visitors left the town to secure their homes. Murray told EDGE that the Crown and Anchor only had two Irene-related cancellations.

"It could have been 100 times worse," he said, noting the storm happened during an off-weekend between Carnival and Labor Day. "We were definitely lucky on this one."

Erin Atwood, executive director of the Provincetown Business Guild, said some businesses closed down because of the power outage. He said the grocery store and restaurants with generators remained open on Sunday. "It was probably one of the better storms that we weathered through," he said.