Editorial: Hats off to the first responders

North Fork residents were lucky last weekend.

That might be a baffling statement to make after a nor’easter blew in and took up residence, flooding roads, toppling trees and knocking out power.

But lucky, nevertheless. Not because everyone escaped damage or inconvenience, but because of the people who stepped up to keep their neighbors safe.

Southold Highway Superintendent Dan Goodwin and his crews began preparing long before the first flooded road needed a barricade. As Mr. Goodwin explained during a ride-along with The Suffolk Times, the department works year-round to remove hazardous trees, reducing the danger when storms arrive.

Once the nor’easter struck, crews spread out across town. Some placed barricades. Others cleared debris with heavy equipment. Foremen assessed fallen trees and determined which jobs could be handled safely and which required PSEG Long Island. Police and highway workers stayed in contact as calls came in.

Police Chief Steve Grattan’s department prepared to station an additional officer in Orient in case flooding cut off access, with extra barriers and cones ready. That kind of planning may attract little attention beforehand, but it matters when the water rises.
Thanks are due, too, to the utility crews restoring electricity and the volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel who stand ready when their neighbors need help. Their own homes and families face the same storm.

Not every problem can be fixed immediately. A tree tangled in wires is not simply another branch to cut. A flooded road cannot safely reopen just because someone wants to get through. The work calls for judgment as well as effort.

Lucky? All in all, yes, to have the dedicated individuals who, through their actions, show how much they care for their fellow residents.