[title]
A wave of relief is crashing over Fire Island: After a rough run of storms, its beaches were replenished earlier this year—and more long-term protection may be on the way.
The barrier island, a 32-mile-long ribbon of sand that draws more than 2 million visitors each year, had been shrinking fast. Nor’easters chewed away so much shoreline that high tides lapped frighteningly close to houses in the Pines and Cherry Grove. For locals and weekenders alike, it felt like paradise was one storm away from being swallowed whole.
RECOMMENDED: The best beaches in NYC for fun in the sun
This spring, the Army Corps of Engineers stepped in under an emergency measure known as PL 84-99, pumping millions of cubic yards of fresh sand onto the beaches, rebuilding dunes and restoring access points ahead of the 2025 summer season. The stop-gap work, championed by local, state and federal officials, has already given Fire Island breathing room.
For longtime residents, the difference is already night and day. “It’s a totally, completely, 100% different experience this summer,” children’s book author and homeowner Bill Doyle told Gothamist. “There was real danger there that people were going to lose their houses and access to the beach.”
But the bigger play is still in motion. Albany’s newly approved $1.7 billion allocation is earmarked for the Fire Island to Montauk Point (FIMP) plan, a decades-in-the-making initiative that would provide routine nourishment—typically every four years—over the next 30 years. The funds represent the state and local share of a cost-split program with the federal government, which is expected to stabilize the island’s beaches through at least 2050.
If you’ve visited recently, you may have spotted dredging barges anchored offshore, ferrying sand back onto stretches that had been whittled to nothing more than a sliver. Some areas, like the Pines, are now wide enough to resemble a football field—luxury real estate, beach-towel edition.
But experts caution that replenishment is no magic wand. “The main question is how long can this really happen and who should pay,” said Rob Young, who directs the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University. Fire Island has been eroding for centuries; it was once connected to Long Island at both ends, after all.
Still, for residents and visitors, the infusion of sand and the promise of a long-term plan have eased fears. Governor Kathy Hochul, who was feted at a Fire Island fundraiser earlier this summer, has framed the effort as protection not just for homeowners but for all of Long Island. Without Fire Island acting as a buffer, the mainland would take the full brunt of storm surge.
For now, that means good news for beachgoers: The island’s famed stretch of sand, from Davis Park to Ocean Beach to the Pines, is open for business. Pack your SPF—this party isn’t sinking yet.