Multiple washovers occurred in Davis Park, Fire Island Pines, Ocean Beach, Corneille Estates and Fire Island Summer Club, Atlantique and Saltaire and at Field 5 in Robert Moses State Park during high tide just before Irene made landfall on Coney Island around 8:45 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 28. Fire Island resident Denise Fasciano, who weathered Irene in an oceanfront house in Ocean Beach, reported that waves were occasionally breaching the dunes at 7:40 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 28.

There were 22 foot seas off Fire Island during the height of the storm, while the bay saw a storm surge of up to five feet during two consecutive high tide cycles.

Ocean Bay Park firefighter Jordan Cohen posted to Facebook at 9:58 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 28, that there was 4" of water in the OBP firehouse's truck room. He also described Bay Walk in OBP as "a river that is 4 feet deep." The Burma Road reportedly had up to 18" of water at high tide.

The surge also flooded downtown Ocean Beach, while four feet of water also covered the roads leading to the Sayville ferry terminal. News reporter Timothy Bolger reported knee-deep water on the south end of Maple Avenue in Bay Shore. Fire Island Ferries' terminals on both sides of the street were also submerged.

Fire Island saw a 71 mph wind gust during the height of the storm, while Sayville reported a 91 mph wind gust shortly after 7 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 28. Fire Island received 3.95" of rain.

Suffolk Officials Order Mandatory Evacuation Ahead of Irene

Suffolk County officials ordered a mandatory evacuation of Fire Island that went into effect at 3 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 26. County Executive Steve Levy, Islip Town Supervisor Phil Nolan and Brookhaven Town Supervisor Mark Lesko had previously announced a voluntary evacuation order.

"We're worried about getting people off of Fire Island right now," said Levy during a press conference in Yaphank on Thursday, Aug. 25.

A steady stream of visitors and residents left the beach before and after officials announced the mandatory evacuation order.

"I just want to get home and get to the store before everything runs out," said Deer Park resident Eileen Hastie, who had been vacationing in Ocean Beach with her sister who had rented a house for a month, as she waited for the 1:20 p.m. ferry to Bay Shore on Friday, Aug. 26. Workers who were putting plywood over the windows of the nearby Blue Waters Hotel underscored the increasing sense of urgency for Hastie and others who decided to evacuate.

The Long Island Railroad suspended service after noon on Saturday, Aug. 27, while the Long Island Power Authority cut electricity to Fire Island shortly after 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27. LIPA had restored power to the vast majority of Fire Island homes by 9 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 29. "[It is] hard to believe that most/all of Fire Island will have its power back long before my parents, brothers and sister (all in Nassau County) regain theirs," said one Fire Island resident who posted to The News' Facebook page after LIPA restored power to Cherry Grove.

Fire Island Ferries restored normal ferry and freight schedules by Tuesday, Aug. 30, while the Davis Park Ferry Co. ran their first boat to the beach at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 30. The Sayville Ferry Service had gradually begun to restore their schedule to the Pines and the Grove as of deadline.

Minimal Structural Damage on Fire Island

Irene damaged or destroyed several docks in the Davis Park Marina, while Fasciano noted several ground floor or basement apartments in oceanfront homes in Ocean Beach were flooded during high tide. The News received similar reports from the Pines.

Andrew Kirtzman of FIP Ventures said his properties weathered Irene well outside of some torn canopies. An OBP resident reported that the high tide mangled the snow fencing along the beach, but the dune remained "intact." John Lund, president of the Davis Park Association, told residents in an e-mail shortly before noon on Aug. 28 that sand had actually built up along the ocean beach during Irene. Grove resident Michael Fisher noted a similar phenomenon.

Fasciano further reported some minor roof damage, fallen trees and "leaves all over the streets" when she spoke to The News later on Sunday, Aug. 28, after Irene passed through the area.

Forecasters had predicted that Irene was to have brought up to 90 mph winds and generated a storm surge of up to 6 feet on the bay before it was to have made landfall in Nassau County or Queens. Irene weakened to a tropical storm before it made landfall in Brooklyn.

"As a homeowner and as a government official, I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived there," said Islip Town Councilmember Trish Bergin-Weichbrodt, who also owns a home in Atlantique, as she surveyed Fire Island after Irene made landfall on Sunday, Aug. 28. I expected more damage than what was done. It does not look like we lost a single home."