This morning’s dailies are today mulling over why the storm that caused so much havoc elsewhere in New Jersey went so easy on the Shore.
Citing the state Department of Environmental Protection, today’s Asbury Park Press reports that the storm caused some erosion at many beaches in Monmouth and Ocean counties, including Sea Bright, where waves “cut into a 1,000-to-1,500-foot stretch of dunes.”
However, a fairly calm storm season and the lack of erosion this winter left many area beaches prepared to withstand the high winds and big waves from the storm, the DEP said.
Mark Mihalasky, director of research at the Coastal Research Center at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, said he and an assistant walked on many of the beaches on Long Beach Island and found minor erosion in spots.
“Our assessment is that this (storm) was fairly overblown with respect to . . . the hype,” particularly on the part of TV, Mihalasky said.
The Star-Ledger looks at Long Beach Island in Ocean County, and compares the most recent storm to the northeaster of 1992 that tore up boardwalks and streets along the coast. The story quotes an emergency manager in Beach Haven who says this storm was much less violent…
because the winds primarily were out of the south and the southeast, which helped keep water from piling up as much in the bay. There also wasn’t as much rain at the Shore as predicted, he said.
A number of coastal communities reported only minor flooding and beach erosion, conditions they have experienced from storms that received little or no hype.
Elaine Makatura, spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said some areas fared better than others and heavier rain fell inland.
More from the Ledger:
Sea Bright is another town used to major problems during nor’easters. Situated on a peninsula in northern Monmouth County, Sea Bright is just about all that separates the Navesink River and a portion of the Shrewsbury River to the west from the Atlantic Ocean.
Assistant Fire Chief Jay Rock said officials had been prepared for the possibility of having to evacuate some residents during morning high tide. Although some water spilled from the Shrewsbury and onto side streets, no homes were flooded.
Weaker-than-expected winds kept the Shrewsbury River from wreaking havoc on the borough, officials said.
Although high tide flooded portions of Ocean Avenue for several hours yesterday morning, a short-lived closure on two portions of Route 36 wasn’t enough to impress the locals.
“I don’t think it was that bad,” said Jack Sembler, who works at Bain’s Hardware Store in the center of town. “Everybody who has been around Sea Bright for long enough has seen a lot worse.”
