Long Island's Mill Creek Road rebuilt 9 months after flooding caused catastrophic damage

Nine months after catastrophic flooding destroyed Stony Brook's historic Mill Pond, dam and bridge, some progress has been made on repairs.

The storms in August 2024 destroyed homes and roads, and threatened the Grist Mill.

"That was a very scary time"

The first step on the road to recovery, led by the Ward Melville Heritage Organization, was rebuilding Mill Creek Road.

"People were stranded. Their houses were condemned. That was a very scary time," Ward Melville Heritage Organization President Gloria Rocchio said.  

For months, homeowner Dan Dresch had to walk down the crumbled road to get to his Head of the Harbor home; the road was impassable for vehicles.

"It's one major chapter closed on this saga," Dresch said.

"Beautiful to see. It was stressful but so many blessings have come out of it," Head of the Harbor homeowner Bianca Dresch said.

Those blessings include Thomas Rubio, who joined other neighbors to lend their backyard properties for a temporary emergency access road.

"We'd been walking through the woods for 40 days carrying groceries. We needed some way to stay in our homes," Rubio said.

"A small inconvenience for a better greater good. I think that we started moving. We started getting it done," Head of the Harbor homeowner Stefani Seals said.

Repairs on historic properties stalled

Elsewhere, lingering questions over who owns nearby historic properties – such as the bridge, dam and pond – have slowed plans to rebuild.

Real estate documents date back to the 1600s, and it's unknown who will take responsibility for the damaged properties. They need to apply for $10 million in FEMA grants.

There's bickering among two towns, one village, one hamlet and a nonprofit.

"We've got to all sit at the table and let's come to a conclusion because it's disgraceful," Smithtown Highway Superintendent Robert Murphy said.

"They have to stick their neck out a little bit and say we are a responsible party and we need help," Suffolk County Legislator Steven Englebright said.

It worked for the one-lane Mill Creek Road.

"It shows what can be done when someone has resolve to push ahead," Head of the Harbor Mayor Michael Utevsky said.