Jersey Shore Magazine

Contributing Factors To The Storm's Devastation From 1960 to 2010, people were drawn to the lifestyle at the Jersey Shore, and the population of Monmouth and Ocean counties nearly tripled. Summer resorts became year-round communities as more people retired to the slower pace of life at the shore. Increasing numbers of people sought to be closer to ocean and bay vistas, and a higher home density was permitted. More of the natural dune landscape was removed. Even after the devastating March 1962 storm, people were not deterred, and the population density increased in the two counties from 1960 to 1970 by a quarter of a million people. Land values climbed. In the process, public roadways, utilities, and sewage and water systems, to name a few, became strained, making them more vulnerable to damaging weather systems. Building The New Beach Over the years, the Army Corps has constructed a number of engineered beaches along the Jersey Shore. In the 1990s, it designed and began the largest beach nourishment project ever attempted in the United States with two major project areas split north and south of the Manasquan Inlet and overseen by the New York and Philadelphia Districts, respectively. The first phase of the plan was to provide five million cubic yards of sand to Sea Bright. Ironically, the work was scheduled to begin within days following Sandy's impact. The plan was intended to replenish the beach to a height of 9.3 feet above sea level. Since 2000, the Corps has required studies to calculate whether the project's design is substantial enough to survive a rising sea level. Such nourishment projects involve identifying unique elements of the beach such as the most effective sand, prevailing currents, existing structures, and how waves affect a particular beach. The Corps has continued on page 66 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers further onslaughts. The urgency of such measures was underscored the week after Sandy when a nor'easter dumped wet snow, interrupting and thwarting efforts to resume utility services and frustrating cleanup efforts. Many families huddled for weeks at night by candlelight under layers of clothes without heat and power. j e r s e y s h o r e • F a l l / h o l i d a y 2 0 1 3 65

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