The remnants of Hurricane Florence passed over East Hampton on Tuesday. Wind from the southwest, warm and heavy on the skin, whipped the flag above the village green. Leaves and tree limbs heaved and waved. Then came the rain, sudden and tropical, rivers running down the street to pool in low spots. 

This is the week, 80 years ago tomorrow, that the Great New England Hurricane of 1938 slammed into Long Island. The Atlantic surged over the dunes, breaking up more than 200 houses along Dune Road in Southampton Town and scattering the pieces across Shinnecock Bay. At Fort Pond Bay, the fishermen’s village built on the sand was cleared as if crumbs on a table. Then the storm moved inland, its relentless rain flooding New England and wreaking havoc.

Hurricane Florence has had much the same effect. Coastal damage from its winds and waves was substantial, but it paled in comparison to a sprawling disaster from flood waters. In the Carolinas, the Pee Dee River was expected to recede after cresting at 46.6 feet, nearly 20 feet above the flood stage. On the Waccamaw in South Carolina, the Charleston Post and Courier reported, the river was two feet higher than the level it hit during 2016’s Hurricane Matthew.

Close to 40 people have died as a direct result of the storm, including two inmates trapped in a prisoner transport van as the waters rose in Horry County, S.C. As happened after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, hundreds, if not thousands, more could lose their lives from the ancillary effects of power outages, loss of access to medical care, exertion, and lack of clean drinking water. A long-lasting threat will come from submerged farm waste and coal-ash containment lagoons, which have already begun to belch their toxic contents. Nearly all of the problems associated with Florence could have been avoided if communities had the foresight not to build in floodplains. But people in the South are no different from us in the North, who allow castles in the sand on dunes that will one day be overtopped in a giant storm once again.

In many ways, the Village of Sag Harbor is worth emulating. It has retained much of its character through a fortuitous real estate market and strict rules about historic buildings. Regulations about what can be put where might vex property owners, but the result has been an enduring charm — one that property owners have been willing to pay dearly for. That message apparently did not penetrate the minds of the village’s fire wardens, a group who oversee the Fire Department, who voted in May to install a garish illuminated sign in front of the firehouse, on Brick Kiln Road. 

In a well-reported story in The Sag Harbor Express, several neighbors said they did not mind its flashing tawdriness, reasoning that because the volunteers do such good work they should be able to do whatever they please on the roadside. Others were annoyed, wondering why the Fire Department did not adhere to local standards. The firehouse is, after all, on village property.

The Sag Harbor Board of Fire Wardens is hardly the only official body to thumb its nose at the rules everyone else has to live by with regard to signs and commercial announcements. The Bridgehampton Fire Department has its own message board, which draws attention from the road and away from the old Community House. The East Hampton School District has long had lunatic scrolling and blinking signs that serve no obvious purpose except to draw maximum attention, with one mysteriously on a road that has very limited traffic. 

East Hampton Town from time to time has dumped ground-up road rubble on beaches as a protective measure. It continues to snub its own law by allowing the Army Corps of Engineers to indefinitely sandbag the Montauk ocean shoreline. And, to our knowledge, none of our local municipalities follows official recycling dictates in their own waste collection. Even among relatively trivial matters, it is a dangerous mind-set when officials believe that the rules do not apply to them. 

In any event, these illuminated signs are an unnecessary trend. One could not be faulted for wondering if there might be other, more important violations of municipal codes not so obvious to the naked eye.

One, two, three: The Village of East Hampton took on paper waste, plastic straws, and smoking in public in a single morning. The proposed measures are ambitious and worthy of support, even if enforcement turns out to be a bit tricky.

The broadest of the three would prohibit smoking and the use of e-cigarettes or vaping devices on public property in the village. This would cover some streets, sidewalks, parking lots, parks, and beaches. A smoking ban has been in effect in Herrick Park and the Main Beach Pavilion for some time; this would go a lot further. A ban would cut down on the cigarette butts that often foul sidewalks, but more than that, it would be a strong and more important message that smoking is harmful. How nice it will be not to have the acrid stink of a cigar wafting down the beach on an otherwise perfect day.

The village board is likely to join the anti-plastic straw wave, too, with a rule that would prohibit restaurants from placing them in drinks unless asked for by patrons. Activists concede that plastic straws are an almost infinitesimal part of the unnecessary consumption of fossil fuels and cause of global pollution, but, they say, banning them is as good a place to start as any. The village had already prohibited the use of foam takeout containers. Cutting down on plastic straws is a sensible next step.

Last and most complex among the proposals coming up for public hearing tomorrow is a village law that would classify the free magazines that choke the business district as garbage unless distributed according to strict rules. This would put the summer glossies, in particular those piled in front of stores, in the same category as household waste and construction debris. Free magazines would be allowed only with the permission of the property owner or tenant and they would have to be secured, although they could be handed out to passers-by. Those placing magazines on public or private property without permission would be subject to a penalty and the offending items removed. 

Each proposal is a worthy one. Taken together, they might go a long way toward making the village streets, parks, storefronts, and beaches more presentable, the air cleaner, and lessen the village contribution to the plastic waste stream.

A public vote on the East Hampton Library budget, which comes up once a year, should be supported on Saturday. Here’s why:

One might perhaps think that libraries are a thing of the past in this fast-moving digital era, but that is far from the reality. From The Star’s vantage point next door on Main Street we watch the constant flow of patrons there — some checking out best sellers, others using free Wi-Fi, or simply enjoying the air-conditioning while relaxing with print newspapers and magazines in the comfortable periodicals reading room. 

The library offers even more in programs for children and adults alike, including the Tom Twomey Lecture Series, which on Saturday at 6 p.m. will present a detailed look at the Creeks estate, when it was the artist Alfonso Ossorio’s home and studio. There are a whole host of other offerings beyond books, including English language classes, tax prep, and DVDs to borrow. Then there is the wonderful Long Island Collection, a perhaps unparalleled historical resource for a small library. 

The budget proposal would add less than $2.50 a year to the average tax bill in the East Hampton, Springs, and Wainscott School Districts. For all the community gets, that sounds like a great deal to us.

Estonia’s Pakri Lighthouse showed up in a recent re-election campaign video for Representative Lee Zeldin as an inadvertent stand-in for the famous national landmark at Montauk Point. Democrats, including Mr. Zeldin’s opponent, Perry Gershon, quickly made fun of the campaign gaffe. Resistance Facebook and Twitter lit up with derisive posts.

It is not as if Mr. Zeldin doesn’t know what the Montauk Point Lighthouse looks like; he and his family were there as recently as 2016. Had he reviewed the ad, it is most likely that he would have noted the difference. The YouTube version, which the congressman narrated, was still on Mr. Zeldin’s YouTube page Monday; later in the video, the correct Montauk Lighthouse appears. Someone, and by that we mean Mr. Zeldin, had not been paying attention.

This was amusing, sure, but the case of the swapped lighthouses brings up the question of how much a candidate can be blamed for the errors of his or her staff. 

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo won the recent primary despite releasing a false claim that his challenger, Cynthia Nixon, was anti-Semitic. David Gruber lost a primary for a Democratic East Hampton Town Board nomination after his supporters spread a false story that the eventual winner, David Lys, must have voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. How the governor escaped significant damage from the bribery conviction of a former senior aide in the “Buffalo Billion” bid-rigging scheme boggles the mind as well. Then there was his infamous termination of the Moreland anti-corruption commission, which drew an investigation from then-United States District Attorney Preet Bharara.

Neither Mr. Zeldin nor Mr. Cuomo and Mr. Gruber have fessed up or apologized, as if doing so would be an admission of guilt and not a moment to show their mettle by taking an admirable high road.

Given that his battle to remain in office now looks like a dead heat, it is understandable that Mr. Zeldin would seek to distance himself from the lighthouse snafu. But Mr. Cuomo’s resistance to making amends was an inexplicable mistake given the near certainty of his victory in the Sept. 13 primary. As for Mr. Gruber, his failure to apologize was par for the course. But the point here is not to bash any particular politician but to consider if it is fair to fault them for the errors of their staff and supporters. 

Just about the first lesson elected officials learn is to take credit when things go well and deny involvement when they do not. But that does not make it right or an admirable example for others. Great leadership does not include wriggling away by blaming subordinates. President Harry S. Truman famously kept a sign on his desk that read “The Buck Stops Here,” which expressed responsibility and his willingness to answer for decisions that might not work out. 

Inasmuch as admitting mistakes is a show of character, evasions matter. A government in which leaders stand up and take their lumps is far better than one in which they dash for cover when missteps are made. History quickly forgets the weasels.

A powerful sense of community was evident on Sunday when more than 100 people gathered in the hope of saving the Springs Historical Society from dissolution. As with many organizations run by volunteers, maintaining forward motion as the heavy-lifters age, move away, or become interested in other things can be an existential challenge. So it was with the Springs Historical Society, which ran the library but had dwindled to a handful of active members, not even enough for a board of directors, as required by state regulations concerning nonprofits. This put its charter with the State Board of Regents in jeopardy and would shut down its ability to accept tax-deductible contributions.

The Springs Library is in the small, town-owned Parsons House opposite Ashawagh Hall. It opened in 1980 and since then has provided a close-by source of books and videos to borrow as well as a limited schedule of programs for residents of the town’s most-densely populated hamlet. Springs residents have borrowing privileges at the East Hampton Library, too, but the humble library close to home serves its purpose. Among its charms is an ongoing book sale during most of the year, with selections outdoors round the clock under a canopy available on the honor system. It does not have a website and it is open only about 14 hours a week, remaining closed on Thursdays and Sundays for lack of volunteers, we assume.

Coming up with the money to fund the Springs Library and keep the historical society alive has been a challenge over the years. Unlike publicly funded libraries, Springs is run by a private association. This means staff salaries are nearly out of the question, upkeep can be a stretch, and even buying books and DVDs is a challenge. With new and invigorated leadership, more members, and more public attention, in part thanks to the recent crisis, coming up with the necessary cash now appears a possibility.

The outcome of Sunday’s meeting was more than the election of a new board of directors. For every one of the hundred or so people there, you can assume there are several others who use the library from time to time. Libraries today are far more than places to check out books; they are community centers where patrons can find help preparing tax returns, take classes, attend lectures, or sit quietly and read a magazine. Students can get help with homework, work on college essays, or do crafts. Smaller children can hear a story, play with Legos, and learn to socialize with others. 

Springs residents deserve many of these things, and what better place for them than their own library?

Membership, at $15 a year, is a great bargain and helps support the library and society’s work. Checks made out to the Springs Historical Society can be mailed to P.O. Box 1860, East Hampton 11937. We encourage everyone who loves books, history, or a sense of place to sign up. It will be money well spent.

Montaukers and those who love the easternmost point in New York State are highly skeptical about an idea to allow camping and related concessions in Camp Hero. They are right to be ringing the alarm. Camping should not be permitted there.

In August, the State Department of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation asked interested parties to submit proposals for a camping concession that might include everything from tent sites to R.V. hookups. In addition, there is a possibility that food and liquor sales could some day be allowed there. For a very long time, Long Island state parks management has kept hands off Montauk. This is good and befits a wild and inspiring place. That would come to a screeching halt if a portion of Camp Hero were turned into a campground.

The response, at least locally, has been vigorously negative. Concerned Citizens of Montauk, the Montauk Citizens Advisory Committee, and the Eastern Long Island Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation have cautioned against it. 

Concerns include sewage, campers falling down the ocean bluffs, competition with local motels and rental properties, fire and emergency medical services, and a lack of state parks police to handle an additional load. There have been few problems at the state-run Hither Hills campground in Montauk, but that might not always be the case.

These are valid concerns, but there is something more important. If there is one place that should be a refuge from the rest of the Hamptons, or what might be called modern life, it is Montauk Point. Day-trippers and residents alike go to the Point and the park there to get away from it all, to soak up nature’s majesty in an undeveloped setting. Protecting the sense of peace that nature provides should be the greatest priority.

The Parks Department has said Camp Hero is “underutilized.” To us, that is exactly as it should be.

The first chilly days of October might seem an odd time to remind readers about a program offered by the region’s electric utility to reduce demand on the hottest days of summer, but stick with us. PSEG Long Island has been giving away programmable thermostats to residential customers with central air-conditioning through its South Fork Peak Savers incentive. When the web-connected devices are installed, they can be adjusted remotely by a few degrees, saving ratepayers money and helping reduce overall electricity consumption during periods of greatest strain on the grid.

From the utility’s perspective, every watt it does not have to buy — or make in temporary, polluting diesel-fueled “peaker” plants — is money saved. And, every watt not produced limits greenhouse gas emissions, helping all of us. And ratepayers save money, but we said that already.

Easy-to-install Nest-brand thermostats are provided to households under a few conditions. First, there must be central air-conditioning. Second, customers have to enroll in something called Rush Hour Rewards, which actually pays them for remotely changing settings by between one and three barely perceptible degrees — often when no one is home to notice the difference. 

“Smart” thermostats like the Nest can sense when a house is empty or when it is very late at night, and make energy-saving adjustments. They also can be monitored remotely and turned up or down on a smartphone app, allowing participants to override the Peak Savers program or adjust personal settings.

In addition to the free thermostat or rebate, participants get $25 a summer for sticking around.  And that’s not all, as they say on TV; smart thermostats can reduce summer cooling and winter heating bills up to 20 percent. Nest says a change of as little as a degree can cut costs by as much as 8 percent. 

Along the same lines, National Grid offers a $75 rebate to residential gas customers who purchase Nest or another brand of remotely controllable thermostats. The bottom line is that winter and summer savings could add up to a great deal of money — and have a positive effect on the environment.

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This has been updated to clarify the program terms.

A New York State grant of $9.7 million for water mains in Wainscott is good news indeed for more than 500 households. After potentially harmful chemicals were found in drinking water in the area, town and state officials, as well as the Suffolk County Water Authority, acted quickly. About eight and a half miles of underground pipe is almost half completed. 

The grant is good news, too, for East Hampton taxpayers in general. Tax-rate increases were a distinct possibility without state money. The largess from Albany came after chemicals used in firefighting foam, carpets, furniture fabric, and clothes were identified in the southern part of Wainscott.

Where things may get expensive for some property owners is running a supply line from a new water main to their houses. Between the costs of a hook-up vault and laying new pipe, perhaps by precise but expensive horizontal drilling, many homeowners could be looking at anywhere from several thousand dollars to, in one instance we know of, more than $90,000. For someone investing in a multimillion dollar house, that might seem like pocket change. For many, perhaps most, Wainscott residents that kind of money might be a difficult drink to swallow. 

Given the state grant, East Hampton Town will save what would have been more than $10 million, including interest, on the bonds it did not have to issue. Considering this windfall, the town might want to offer low or interest-free loans for hookups for property owners in the affected area. Water should not be a luxury only the rich can afford.

One of the most disheartening aspects of the 2018 election cycle has been a coordinated, deliberate effort to take the vote away from hundreds of thousands of United States citizens. 

Varied schemes have been the work of state and local Republicans bent on victory at all costs. Depending on where, officeholders have eagerly sought to suppress turnout, obfuscate deadlines, and outright disenfranchise fellow Americans along racial divides, mostly because they tend to vote Democratic. 

It is appalling that so many Republicans who believe themselves to be of good conscience are willing to countenance what could create lasting damage to democracy. If there is one issue that should unify the nation, it should be the right to participate in selecting leaders. This failure should be a source of shame.

The effort to suppress votes can be as obvious as limiting the number of polling places or curtailing their hours. The difference between majority white and majority black or Hispanic election districts can make the latter seem like another country. On the South Fork, voters might wait for a few minutes at most to fill out their ballots. However, in 2016, hours-long lines greeted would-be voters in Arizona, North Carolina, and Ohio, among other places, and are expected again this year.

Examples are numerous and horrifying. There have been registered-voter purges, in some cases simply because someone has sat out a couple of elections. Individual registrations in Georgia have been rejected for as little as a missing hyphen in a last name. In one county, officials ordered black senior citizens out of a bus that was to have taken them to an early voting site.

In Alabama, hundreds of thousands of people who remain eligible to vote despite a low felony conviction remain unregistered because of a welter of county-by-county policies and confusing laws. Kansas tried requiring citizenship documents of new registrants, which the American Civil Liberties Union said improperly blocked 35,0000 United States citizens from casting ballots. After a federal judge halted it, the state took another tack: shutting down polling places in minority areas. 

North Carolina has made it all but necessary for hourly workers to skip work in order to take part in early voting. It also eliminated Sunday voting, which traditionally was popular with black voters. North Dakota recently changed its law to require street addresses on the IDs it requires for voting; many Indian reservations in the state do not use street addresses, and under the law post office boxes are not considered adequate. In Tennessee, applications to register have been rejected because an applicant did not check a “Miss,” “Mrs.,” or “Mr.” box. 

No national Republican figure has denounced the strategy to keep black voters in the South or Democratic-leaning college students elsewhere from participating via absentee ballots. At every level, including at the Suffolk Board of Elections, it is shocking that officials and candidates can remain loyal to a party that has so completely collapsed on the most American of American values — the right to vote. The silence of fair-minded Republicans now is the saddest note of all.