Most Jersey Shore beaches escaped with only minor hurricane damage

The amount of damage inflicted by Hurricane Erin on the Jersey Shore beaches in late August was largely minor, according to a newly released report by New Jersey’s environmental agency.

Of 81 beaches inspected for damage in the coastal counties of Atlantic, Cape May, Monmouth and Ocean, 72 had minor beach or dune erosion and only nine had moderate beach or dune erosion. No beaches suffered major beach or dune erosion, the state Department of Environmental Protection reported.

However, locations that experienced “noteworthy erosion” included portions of Atlantic City, Ocean City, Strathmere, North Wildwood, Avalon, Holgate and Beach Haven, the DEP found.

“Additionally, many locations, especially throughout the Atlantic-facing coast, experienced some level of wave runup. This wave runup resulted in the pronounced reshaping of the beach profile and redistribution of sand,” the agency said in a Sept. 4 Coastal Storm Survey & Damage Assessment report.

Although the center of the storm was hundreds of miles offshore, Hurricane Erin’s big waves and tropical storm-force winds lashed the South Jersey coast from Aug. 18 to Aug. 22.

In Atlantic City, there was moderate beach and dune erosion in the area from St. James Place north to the Absecon Inlet jetty.

Ocean City’s dunes were damaged from 3rd Street to 10th Street. Some sections of the dunes were washed away by the waves to create mini-cliffs up to 6 feet high, a process known as “scarping.”

Strathmere suffered dune scarping up to 12 feet high and 20 feet wide. Dune erosion was concentrated on the beaches from Seaview Avenue to Sherman Avenue. The damage also caused 12 of Strathmere’s beach pathways over the dunes to be closed, before repairs were done.

Erosion to some of Avalon’s dunes caused drop-offs of up to 10 feet high. Dune damage in Avalon was focused between 10th Street and 15th Street and from 21st Street to 23rd Street.

North Wildwood’s dunes had moderate damage from 2nd Avenue to 8th Avenue, as well as 8th Avenue to 16th Avenue and from 16th Avenue to the Wildwood border. In addition, some of the beach pathways over the dunes were damaged.

    A "Closed" sign served as a barricade to the badly eroded beach at 5th Street in Ocean City following Hurricane Erin.
  

This was the first time since 2023 that the DEP’s Office of Coastal Engineering had published a Coastal Storm Survey & Damage Assessment report. The 2023 report assessed the damage caused by a weeklong pounding of drenching rains, strong winds and powerful surf from Tropical Storm Ophelia in late September 2023.

Since 2023, the Jersey Shore beaches have fared relatively well during coastal storms, including Hurricane Erin’s gusty winds and dangerously rough surf. Overall, coastal storms have had only “minimal and/or short-term impacts on the beach and dune systems, except for hot spot locations” since 2023, the DEP said

“The combination of calm weather and natural recovery, proactive beach and dune maintenance activities, and cycles of periodic beach renourishment in several municipalities provided increased shore protection by offering a buffer to absorb periods of elevated surf in many areas,” according to the DEP.

Federal funding for beach replenishment projects at the Jersey Shore has become a hot topic in Hurricane Erin’s wake.

Congressional Democrats and Republicans have been sniping at each other over fears that there may not be federal funding for beach restoration projects in 2025 and possibly 2026.

U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a Republican whose 2nd Congressional District includes the shore towns in Atlantic and Cape May counties and part of Ocean County, has pledged to introduce legislation to create a dedicated funding source for beach replenishment projects throughout the country.

Van Drew met privately on Aug. 26 with local mayors to discuss immediate and long-term solutions to protect New Jersey’s beaches.

“In the long term, I will be introducing legislation to make sure there is permanent and reliable funding for beach projects all across the country. This will give our towns the stability they deserve and help keep costs down,” he said in a statement.

Van Drew also said he plans to work with local, state and federal officials on permanent construction projects – including jetties, seawalls and bulkheads – to keep the sand in place after beach replenishment projects are completed.

    Congressman Jeff Van Drew, right, met with local mayors on Aug. 26 to discuss beach replenishment funding and shore protection measures. (Photo courtesy of Congressman Jeff Van Drew's office)