Promise comes week after hurricane pummeled coast
NORTHFIELD — U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew has promised southern New Jersey mayors to provide a stable supply of funding for shore protection, a week after Hurricane Erin pummeled the coast.
“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,” said Van Drew, R-2nd.
Van Drew was joined by leaders from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state Department of Environmental Protection on Aug. 26 at his office in Northfield to discuss immediate and long-term solutions to protect southern New Jersey’s beaches.
The focus of the meeting was how municipalities can better address beach erosion and the future of replenishment projects. Part of the discussion involved alternatives to beach replenishment, such as groins and jetties.
Van Drew said Congress is moving forward with his Hot Spot Erosion Mitigation Study, which is being piloted in Atlantic City. The measure authorizes the Army Corps to develop and implement projects to mitigate erosion. The projects include the construction of seawalls, living shorelines and beach nourishment efforts.
Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian said he learned there was not a line item in the federal budget for beach replenishment.
“They would always find the money, whether it was the Department of Transportation or Sandy (relief) or something like that. What he’s trying to do is put a fund together that it’s always there.
“It won’t be a line item, but some sort of program where every year it’s funded and then we don’t have to go through the same thing,” Gillian said.
The meeting followed a tense week for shore mayors as they warily eyed the storm, which caused coastal flooding, heavy surf and dangerous rip currents along the East Coast.
The storm formed Aug. 15 in the Atlantic Ocean, becoming the first hurricane of the 2025 season. Beachfront communities from North Carolina to New England issued rough-surf advisories and many closed beaches to swimmers as the storm moved north.
Coastal communities in southern New Jersey suffered extreme erosion in places, such as Upper Township’s island Strathmere, where scarps measured at least 8 feet high, and Ocean City.
Upper Township Mayor Curtis Corson said the meeting with Van Drew was encouraging.
“We made him keenly aware of the issues we are having,” Corson said. “I know the congressman knows the importance of what the beaches contribute to our local economy.”
Gillian agreed.
“This is one thing that’s nonpartisan because it’s not only tourism, it’s not just for people laying on the beach. It’s for public safety and it helps our insurance,” he said.
Corson said there was a lot of talk about alternatives to beach replenishment, but noted Strathmere is across from Corsons Inlet State Park, where hard structures have been rejected by the DEP.
“Strathmere is very unique because of the state wildlife area,” he said. “Maybe DEP is going to have to swallow hard and put a hard structure in.”
Ocean City is on a cycle of having its north end beaches replenished every three years under a 50-year agreement signed in the 1990s with the Army Corps. The next one is due in early 2026. After Superstorm Sandy hit and battered the south end pretty hard in 2012, the city made another agreement with the Army Corps for a project there every three years.
“I’m confident that we’re next for our beach replenishment. I’ve looked at our beaches. We need sand, but we’re in still good shape,” Gillian said. “It looks like it’s still going to go through for (replenishment). There’s no sign that it’s not. I have a lot of faith in not only our congressman, but our state senators and our federal senators.”
While Cape May suffered little damage from Erin, Mayor Zach Mullock said the city, which also is on schedule for replenishment in 2026, is greatly dependent on the work.
“We would have zero beaches without replenishment,” he said.
Mullock said Van Drew was optimistic that funding would be provided.
“I think it’s hard to be confident in anything from the federal government,” he said. “But I am confident the congressman is working to get that funding.”
Mullock said a system of hard structures is needed, but noted that can create unexpected consequences. He said Cape May is deprived of sand due to a jetty at Cape May Canal.
“In 1988, when we started doing it, we had almost no beaches at high tide,” Mullock said. “Imagine today with the amount of people we have.”
In the meantime, the city is awaiting a $25 million FEMA grant for extension of the seawall at the corner of Wilmington and Beach avenues.
Cape May County Board of County Commissioners Director Len Desiderio, who is also mayor of Sea Isle City, told City Council on Aug. 26 that the city escaped the storm with beaches unscathed.
“The good thing is there were no injuries, and the city was relatively unharmed by the storm. In addition, our beaches fared very well, as we experienced minimal erosion,” he said.
However, flooding was a problem on the island.
“Last week, we endured the worst storm event we’ve seen in many years, as Hurricane Erin passed by the eastern seaboard,” Desiderio said. “The floodwaters we experienced were the highest we’ve had since 2018, but we were well informed in advance of the storm.”
He said most residents took precautions but there still were some cars that got stuck driving through flooded streets.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had floodwaters this high, but it’s a reminder that we need to be mindful when driving around town in these situations,” he said, noting that driving through flooded streets can harm adjacent properties.
He said cooperation is key to future beach protection.
“Together, we are all committed to working as one shore community to protect our coast, making sure that no town is left behind,” Desiderio said.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK and DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
