SANDY’S
DEVASTATION
New Jersey is one of the most
susceptible states along the Atlantic Coast to the effects of sea level
rise, according to research from
the University of Pennsylvania.
Oceans along the Jersey Shore are
predicted to rise nearly twice as
fast as bodies of water near coastal areas elsewhere in the country
because the state has few rivers
that deliver natural sediment to
replenish coastal areas, and due to
natural forces depleting the stock
of offshore sand.
“We have this insane mentality, this boosterism along
the coast,” said Wolfe, the former state environmental official
in New Jersey. “For years and
years, people have been putting
up warning flags. The state has
known this, and instead of regulating more restrictively they’ve
pushed right ahead.”
Larry Ragonese, a spokesman for
the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, argued that development along the Jersey Shore
has been ongoing for decades, even
before there was a coastal permitting program. He said it is not the
state’s role to dictate how redevelopment should occur.
“People who live along the
shore always live with a risk, and
HUFFINGTON
12.02.12
they know that. That’s understood,” he said. “We at the state
are not going to tell these towns
you can or cannot rebuild, but we
will work with them to make sure
that whatever comes back will be
done in as smart or protective a
fashion as possible.”
For nearly a century, local and
state officials in New Jersey have
contended with erosion along state
shorelines, as the string of barrier
islands lining the coast lost huge
amounts of sand during major
storms that have whipped through
the region. State reports have documented how resort towns such
as Long Branch, Atlantic City and
Ocean City faced challenges from
eroding beaches as far back as the
turn of the 20th century.
To contend with disappearing
shorelines and promote development along the coast, the state tried
to delay natural forces by building
bulkheads and seawalls meant to
armor the coast against erosion.
Hard structures are now present along nearly 80 percent of
the state’s coastline, leading
coastal researchers to coin the
term “New Jerseyization” to describe short-term efforts to hold
back rising seas.
A strong Nor’easter storm in
1962 killed 14 people and injured
more than 1,300, opening everyone’s eyes to the risks of living