The Army Corps of Engineers is declaring a state of emergency on Fire Island, following a series of damaging storms.

According to Sen. Chuck Schumer, the declaration means federal funds will be made available to repair the barrier island’s beaches and dunes.

Schumer says the Army Corps of Engineers initially refused to make the declaration, because none of the recent storms met the criteria on their own. Instead, the damage from all the storms will be considered together to meet the threshold for emergency funds.