Bayport Beach Remains in Disrepair One-Year After Irene

As tropical storm Isaac threatens to hit New Orleans today as a full-blown hurricane, most south shore residents are likely remembering last year’s Tropical Storm Irene that hit hard in Sayville and Bayport just a year ago today.

The lasting imprint of Irene is still seen in Bayport as the hurricane wiped out the playground at Bayport Beach, at the end of Paulanna Avenue, and the equipment remains missing.

Islip Town park officials told Patch this week that replacement parts are on order and the playground equipment will be reinstalled as soon as possible.

One Bayport resident said the impact of Irene left the town beach in its worst shape in history and several residents lobbied town officials this past spring for additional improvements at the beach.

But town leaders speaking at a Bayport Civic meeting stated budget cuts and economic restraints presented a big challenge to beach and park repair and improvements.

In Sayville, major damage to docks and beach areas, including Sayville Beach at the end of Foster, were back to normal shortly after the storm last August.

Patch communities between West Sayville and Blue Point didn’t suffer as much as other Long Island towns in terms of lost power, but the flooding was intense on many streets.

In the accompanying photo gallery Patch offers up a look at the storm scenes from a year ago.