Homes in Strathmere, New Jersey, at risk after more storms batter dunes: “You feel so helpless”
By Ryan Hughes
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New Jersey (KYW) — Strong wind gusts, driving rain and rough surf are once again causing problems down the Jersey Shore.
For the second time this month, an angry Atlantic Ocean was eating away at the dunes and washing away part of the beach at Seacliff Avenue in Strathmere.
“It’s one after another, and you feel so helpless because you’re limited on what you can do and the resources you have to work with,” said Craig Reeves, the superintendent of the Upper Township Public Works Department.
Reeves was closely monitoring the conditions Thursday. He says many homes are now at risk after most of the beach was lost and several feet of dunes were wiped away two weeks ago, when a strong nor’easter battered many shore towns. Strathmere declared a state of emergency.
“We really lost a lot two weeks ago with that event, so now we’re very vulnerable,” he said.
Strathmere also suffered severe erosion in August from the impacts of Hurricane Erin that churned off the coast.
Steven Hafner, the assistant director of Stockton University’s Coastal Research Center, says with the storms hitting so close together the beaches can’t naturally recover, so more damage is being done.
“When the next storm comes in, the beach elevation is lower, the beaches are narrower, and the storm surge allows the waves to progress further up the beach until they’re impacting the dune systems,” Hafner said.
“It’s a concern, we don’t have a lot to work with, and we have a way to go this winter,” Reeves said.
The last beach replenishment project in Strathmere was at the beginning of last year. The next one is slated for 2027, but it depends on federal funding being available.
Reeves says until then there is not much the township can do. He plans to be out Friday morning to assess the damage.
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