12 Houses Swept Away on Flooded Fire Island

Authorities say 12 houses on New York’s Fire Island were swept to sea by the storm.

Chris Soller, superintendent of the Fire Island National Seashore, said 80 percent of the remaining houses sustained some kind of damage.

The Suffolk County Fire and Rescue team and the Air National Guard were flying helicopters over the island on Tuesday to assess the damage.

Authorities estimated that about 120 people may have remained on the island to ride out the storm. The helicopter teams also will determine the best method for eventually removing the people from the island.

Soller said the devastation on Fire Island was probably the worst since the 1938 hurricane known as the Long Island Express pounded the Northeast.