Long Island ‘In Harm’s Way’ Symposium Sunday

On Sunday, October 28, the Long Island Museum, in collaboration with Long Island Traditions, will host In Harm’s Way: Past Present & Future, a symposium that explores storm preparation, recovery and moving forward.

The event will take place from 9:45 am to 4 pm at The Long Island Museum. Registration is $12 per person and $10 for students, seniors and museum members. An optional lunch is available for $10 additional.

Storms and hurricanes have a long history in upstate New York and Long Island, such as the famed September 1938 “Long Island Express” hurricane and the most recent Super Storm Sandy. On the fifth anniversary of Sandy, this informative symposium will include dialogue and shared experiences from local residents, planners and architects, folklorists and historians. Speakers will share stories and memories of earlier storms, Superstorm Sandy, Irene and Lee, and have in-depth discussions about what the future holds for coastal residents. Audience members will be encouraged to participate in the discussions. The program is appropriate for anyone interested in hurricanes, flood and erosion prevention plans, architecture in flood zones and new ways to cope with storms and hurricanes.

The first session “Looking Backwards” will focus on reactions to earlier storms such as the 1938 “Long Island Express” hurricane, Hurricane Gloria and the 1991-92 nor’easters, through discussions with historians, planners and community residents. The featured keynote speaker is Dr. Jonathan Bergman, historian, author of Church, Community, and Religious Disaster Relief in Suffolk County: Three Case Studies from The Hurricane of 1938 and A New Deal for Disaster: The Hurricane Of 1938 And Federal Disaster Relief Operations, Suffolk County, New York. Bergman will be joined by John Jiler, author of Dark Wind, Tom Doheny, Town of Hempstead Commissioner of Conservation and Waterways, Chip Duryea, Montauk Resident, Christopher Kretz, Stony Brook University- Southampton and host of the podcast series The Long Island History Project, Joshua Ruff, Director of Collections & Interpretation, Long Island Museum and Nancy Solomon, Director of Long Island Traditions, and curator of In Harm’s Way.

The second session “Superstorm Sandy” will focus on how local residents, architects and contractors, and bay house owners experienced the storm, their immediate and long-term actions to respond, and how coasts have changed as a result of Sandy. The featured keynote speaker is Pieter Roos, Founder of Keeping History Above Water, a national effort to preserve the historic and contemporary architecture of our coastal communities. Roos will be joined by Joe Pignataro, Freeport architect, Anthony Rector, Long Beach contractor, Mike Sartoretti, Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club, Alison Muller, bay house owner and Freeport Resident, Jen & Steven Meschkow, Long Beach residents. The session will be moderated by Nancy Solomon.

The third and final session “Looking Forward” will examine what coastal communities of the future will look like, based on the lessons learned from Sandy and earlier storms. The featured keynote speaker is Rob Cody, Professor of Architecture, at the New York Institute of Technology. NYIT asked its students to design new houses and plans for existing villages along the South Shore to prevent future flooding. Cody will be joined by Joe Gallinaro, Long Beach architect, Alison Muller, bay house owner and Freeport resident, Al & Artie Grover, Freeport residents who elevated their home, Joe Pignataro, Freeport architect, and Tom Doheny, Town of Hempstead Commissioner of Conservation and Waterways. The session will be moderated by Nancy Solomon.

Admission is granted on a first come/first served basis. Space is limited and pre-registration and pre-payment are recommended. To register online, through October 26, click here. For more information call (631) 751-0066 ext. 211 or email BChiarelli@longislandmuseum.org.

This program is made possible in part by support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the NY State Council on the Arts, the Gardiner Foundation and Humanities New York.

Photos provided.