Nor'easter erodes beaches, washes out steps in L.B.

Nor'easter erodes beaches, washes out steps in L.B.
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer

Long Branch weathered the nor'easter that ripped through the Jersey Shore last week, with damage limited to beach erosion.

According to Stanley Dzuiba, Long Branch Office of Emergency Management coordinator, the storm damage was limited to the beachfront.

"We got hit on our beaches," he said. "It's just major beach erosion, no other event went on," he said. "North Long Branch flooded, but no more than it usually does. It was a relatively quiet storm for us. The only thing we lost as far as property damage was our beach steps."

Dzuiba said the storm did cause major erosion to some beaches.

"Basically we lost about 6 to 8 feet of sand in places," he said. "Seaview Avenue beach, the beach behind the Promenade Beach Club, the Great Lawn beach, the water is now up to the seawall."

Dzuiba described some of the erosion.

"Where you used to walk up to the beach at the Promenade, where the sand was actually level, when you walk [now] is about a 6½-foot, 7-foot drop there."

Dzuiba said that some of the entryways to the beach were damaged by the storm.

"Our steps on Seaview Avenue were washed out," he said. "We had some steps washed out a little bit further down. That's about it."

Gov. Jon Corzine declared a state of emergency on Nov. 15 in six New Jersey counties battered by recent tropical storm Ida.

Municipalities in Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, Monmouth and Ocean Counties suffered damage from the nor'easter that could enable them to receive federal funding for repairs.

Monmouth County OEM Coordinator Glen Mason said last week that he anticipated meeting with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Nov. 18. However, FEMA had to reschedule, because the severity of the damage in the southern part of the state caused delays.

"We are putting the application in. We got preliminary damage assessment (PDA) numbers from the municipalities," Mason said.

The first step in the application process is the PDA, which is a joint assessment used to determine the magnitude and impact of an event's damage.

"A FEMA or a state team visits local applicants to assess the scope of damage and estimate repair costs. The state then uses the results of the PDA to determine if the situation is beyond the combined capabilities of the state and local resources and to verify the need for supplemental federal assistance," Mason explained.

Mason projects the damage amount for the county to be between $500,000 and $1 million, not including the costs for beach replenishment.

"That's currently where the numbers are today," he said on Nov. 18. "They're still changing and coming in and change constantly, even as we speak.

"Beach erosion is my main concern and the biggest issue. We don't know yet who will take care of the beach replenishment," Mason said.

He said that he is working with municipal police departments, offices of emergency management, departments of public works and municipal coordinators.

Dzuiba said the city will be requesting funding to mitigate the beach erosion from FEMA but does not know how much will be received.

"We have put in for beaches, that's really the only thing we put in for," he said. "They haven't even come out yet to talk to us."

Staff Writer Kimberly Steinberg contributed to this story.