A Long Island nudist group has been thrown into a panic after learning that the area’s sole “clothing-optional” beach will be closed until further notice due to Superstorm Sandy damage.
A famed stretch of beachfront near the Fire Island Lighthouse was stripped nearly bare by the storm, and officials have shuttered it until at least Memorial Day.
The authority that monitors the area, the Fire Island National Seashore, will be conducting rehabilitative work in the area to replenish the dunes that all but disappeared during the violent storm.
The Long Island Travasuns, a naturist group serving Nassau and Suffolk counties, sent out an emergency missive to address the crisis and warned members that their only haven has been closed down.
“I don’t think there are any other clothing-optional areas,” said Fire Island National Seashore spokeswoman Paula Valentine. “I’m sure there are a lot of people who will be disappointed.”
Valentine indicated that there are no contingencies in place to provide new roaming areas for the nudist set.