Oyster Bay Supervisor Looks Back at Storm

The Oyster Bay Town Council passed a resolution asking FEMA for $15 million reimbursement for storm cleanup Tuesday as Supervisor John Venditto looked back at the Town's response to Superstorm Sandy.

The resolution authorizing the Town to request reimbursement from the federal government passed by a 6-0 margin with Councilwoman Rebecca Alesia absent for the meeting.

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According to a spokeswoman, the town initially asked for $6 million, but that was revised upward as cleanup costs continue to mount in the  aftermath of the storm, and the Town may ask for additional money down the road.

At the start of the meeting, Venditto spoke on the Town's response to Sandy and said he may have department heads report to the board on the response at a future meeting. 

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The supervisor had high praise for the response of his team which he said prepared for Sandy 7 to 10 days before she struck.

"I must tell you, the workforce executed to absolute perfection," he said. "The plan was the perfect plan, and the execution by the workforce was perfect."

Venditto said there were many dimensions to the storm's impact.

"The damage was more than physical, the damage was psychological," he said, adding "A force has been shaken loose here which is not going to dissipate for a very, very long time."

Venditto suggested he may take a more thorough look at the storm in the near future.

"In the weeks and months ahead, probably after the new year, we're gong to talk more," Venditto said. "I think I'm going to ask our department heads to come before the board and share some of their experiences. So all of us know and understand in the event, heaven forbid, we're faced with this again."

A town spokeswoman said that it's likely town department heads and other officials will speak to the board informally, rather than hold a public hearing.