"That unique lifestyle that everyone's fought to protect is now, to some extent, working against the ability to build in the quick and timely manner that you would see on the mainland of Long Island, " said Chris Soller, the superintendent of the Fire Island National Seashore, the agency that oversees the island.

WSJ: The Fire Island Blues

Mr. Soller, the national seashore superintendent, said he advocates monitoring the breach and waiting to see if it will close on its own before next winter.

WSJ: The Fire Island Blues

For instance, is anyone truly surprised to discover that the act of building six nuclear reactors side-by-side on a seashore frequently bedeviled by earthquake-induced tsunamis might not have been a good idea?

FORBES: Bevy of Black Swans Or Just A Flock of Seagulls?