The "1938 New England Hurricane" (a.k.a. "Long Island Express") swept through the New England area on September 21, 1938, decimating many Long Island communities and even redrawing elements of Long Island's landscape, widening Moriches Inlet and even creating ten new inlets, including Shinnecock Inlet. Leaving approximately 700 dead, 708 injured, 63,000 homeless, 8,900 buildings destroyed, 2 billion trees destroyed, 20,000 miles of power and telephone line downed, and 3,300 boats lost or destroyed, and at a cost of approximately $620 million in 1938 dollars (approximately $41 billion in today's dollars), it is considered by many to be one of the most powerful and costliest storms ever to hit the region, also effectively wiping out Long Island’s fishing industry and half of its apple crop.

In this collection, you will find photographs taken on and over Suffolk County in the aftermath of the Hurricane, showing the havoc the storm wreaked on the county’s coastline and buildings.