Letters to the Editor for the week

Action now
To the Editor:
I would like to applaud and thank Mr. Herb Stelljes for his article in the last week’s Reporter (“Climate change and making choices,” April 24) highlighting the potential, yet increasingly imminent threats and challenges of climate change.

Although there are skeptics (albeit in the political arena) regarding the potential cause, there is no debate that the planet is warming and with that warming comes great risks. I, too, strongly believe that the Island, as a community, should begin to consider options that would promote sustainability. A committee whose purpose is to explore any and all options to address these threats would be a small step in a prudent direction.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is considered by most to be the authority on the issue. The IPCC’s fifth and latest report provides a summary for policymakers that outlines many of the perils, vulnerabilities and adaptations. It considers sea-level rise a credible risk and a likely outcome of climate change that could potentially compromise our potable water and coastal areas. Among other vulnerabilities, they both seem to be most susceptible to such a threat.

Action must be taken on the municipal level to ensure proper preventative measures and contingency plans are in place to confront such damaging realities. The impact to the Island has yet to be felt significantly but the sooner we acknowledge the unique opportunity we have to adapt, the better chance we have of mitigating the likely dangers.
QUINN KARPEH
Shelter Island

Heartfelt thanks
To the Editor:
This week I had to call our 911 team. With their prompt service, sometimes I think perhaps they might be waiting at the end of my driveway for a call.

At the time of my call, my balance was so bad that I actually fell a couple of times when I tried standing up. Worried, I asked my wife if she would dial 911 for me since this was the way I felt before my last stroke eight years ago.

I swear she hardly hung up the phone and the first responder was already driving up the driveway. For the next few hours, I couldn’t stop thinking about these dedicated volunteers and how professionally they attended to my problem. It made me feel that I wasn’t doing my part and I should be doing more to help my neighbors.

At the hospital, I had an EKG, CT scan, chest X-rays and an MRI all in a few hours. As much as I hated to bother the ambulance squad, I am happy I was completely checked out, given medication and told of my problem.

My point is that when we often talk about the great Island we live on, we somehow leave out the group of volunteers that appear every time one of our neighbors has a problem. This group, of course, is the Shelter Island Emergency Medical Services and I have used them more than my share in the past few years.

Please except my heartfelt thanks for everything you did for me this past week. I can assure you that your help was not only appreciated but it will never be forgotten.
BOB DeSTEFANO
Shelter Island