8ebulldlng and re-rebulldlng: 1he developmenL of new sLraLegles for proLecLlng Lhe !

ersey
Shore



MaLLhew 8erger
M8M 320
9 March 2014










"
A few days before Palloween 2012, slLLlng ln a backyard ln Callfornla, feeL up on Lhe
LomaLo bed, l reallzed l was walLlng for someLhlng. 1hln, black clouds drlfLed under Lhe
grayness LhaL had celllnged ln Lhe 8ay Area all day. 1he summer had ended abrupLly. ln lLs place
was an end-of-Lhe-world elecLrlclLy l could feel ln my LeeLh. l was walLlng for Lhe sky Lo explode.
1haL mornlng, Lhree-Lhousand mlles away, Lhe homeLown hangouLs of Lhe glrl l had
almosL marrled had been washed away. 1he new !ersey barrler lsland on whlch Colleen had
grown up was aL LhaL momenL no longer parL of our conLlnenL. l had seen plcLures, loLs of Lhem.
Long 8each lsland was aL Lhe momenL mosLly unlform rows of house aLolls and a new, vlrgln
beach, flve or slx blocks wesL of where Lhe beach had been Lhe nlghL before. 1here was
supposedly sLlll some hlgh ground on parLs of Lhe lsland and Lhe Lrucks LhaL pump sand - Lhe
ones LhaL had malnLalned Lhe erodlng beaches for Lhe pasL couple decades - were belng
broughL ln Lo pump Lhe sand Lhe oLher dlrecLlon, from Lhe lsland's boulevards lnLo Lhe sea.
1hls was noL Lhe flrsL Llme Lhls sLory had played ouL. 1hey could dlg Lhelr lsland back ouL
of Lhe sea, buL Lhey would have Lo keep dolng LhaL. 1hls was noL a freak sLorm, Lhls was whaL
happens Lo barrler lslands, and we boLh knew LhaL over Lhe nexL 30 or 40 years lL was golng Lo
begln Lo happen more frequenLly and more feroclously. lslands llke hers were golng Lo
dlsappear.
We had boLh worked on cllmaLe change lssues ln uC - me as an envlronmenL [ournallsL,
Colleen aL a Lhlnk Lank - and l used Lo Lease her abouL Lhe precarlousness of her homeLown, of
essenLlally llvlng on a low levee. now, l Lrled Lo hlde my smugness.
1hls lsland has been around for Lwo hundred years," she sald. 1hey'll flgure lL ouL."
She knew whaL l was Lhlnklng whlle she sald LhaL. 8uL she mlghL noL have known LhaL lf lL were
up Lo me rlghL Lhen, l probably would have elecLed Lo have Lhem noL flgure lL ouL, Lo avold Lhls
dlsasLer Lhe nexL Llme.
A couple days laLer, readlng abouL Lhe llfelong resldenLs and mlddle-class famllles - lL
was Lhe end of Lhe season and only Lhe year-round resldenLs were lefL on Lhe lsland- LhaL had
losL properLy and [obs, l felL dlfferenLly. 8uL only sllghLly.

---
#

1here was never a debaLe abouL wheLher Lo rebulld, Lhe amounL of money and Llme and hlsLory
lnvesLed ln Lhe !ersey Shore - essenLlally all on barrler lslands, wlLh Lhe excepLlon of Lhe areas
around Asbury ark and Cape May - makes abandonlng Lhe shore unLhlnkable. 8uL Lhere ls a
debaLe of sorLs underway abouL how Lo rebulld.
Slnce observaLlons began early lasL cenLury, Lhe sea level along Lhe new !ersey shore
has rlsen 4 mllllmeLers per year.
1
Cver [usL Lhe nexL decade and a half, sea levels are pro[ecLed
Lo rlse 9 Lo 27 cenLlmeLers (0.3 Lo 0.8 feeL) above year-2000 levels along Lhe shore, 16 Lo 49 cm
(0.3 Lo 1.6 feeL) by 2030, and 43 Lo 141 cm (1.4 Lo 4.6 feeL) by 2100.
2
Many of Lhe Lowns along
Lhe new !ersey coasL are around seven Lo Len feeL above currenL sea levels.
1hls gradual rlse ls ln addlLlon Lo Lhe sudden, one-off surges caused by perlodlc sLorms
llke Sandy. ALlanLlc ClLy, on Lhe barrler lsland of Absecon lsland, ls pro[ecLed Lo experlence whaL
ls Loday a 100-year flood evenL every one or Lwo years by Lhe end of Lhls cenLury.
3
A 2003 sLudy
found LhaL 1 Lo 3 percenL of new !ersey land area wlll be affecLed by sea level rlse over Lhe nexL
cenLury and 6.3 Lo 9 percenL by eplsodlc coasLal floodlng."
4

8uL, really, Lhe baLLle Lo keep Lhe coasL ouL of Lhe waLer began a half-cenLury ago. new
!ersey's coasLllne - long, sandy beaches a qulck Lraln or car rlde from new ?ork or hlladelphla
- was where mllllons of Amerlcans fell ln love wlLh Lhe beach for Lhe flrsL Llme
3
lrom Lhe sLarL,
lL was a doomed affalr.
A loL of Lhe relevanL auLhorlLy for rebulldlng and malnLalnlng Lhe !ersey Shore falls Lo
Lhe federal governmenL, and speclflcally Lhe Army Corps of Lnglneers, worklng ln cooperaLlon
wlLh Lhe sLaLe 8ureau of CoasLal Lnglneerlng, an arm of Lhe ueparLmenL of LnvlronmenLal
roLecLlon's CoasLal ManagemenL rogram. 1he CM arose followlng Lhe passage of Lhe federal
CoasLal Zone ManagemenL AcL ln 1972, Lhough lL also coordlnaLes work under Lhe sLaLe's
WeLlands AcL, WaLerfronL uevelopmenL Law, CoasLal Area laclllLy 8evlew AcL and lreshwaLer
WeLlands roLecLlon AcL.
6
8uL Lhe auLhorlLy Lo dredge up Lhousands of Lons of sand and sculpL
Lhem lnLo beaches resLs wlLh Lhe Corps.
WlLh houses, boardwalks, caslnos and chlldhood memorles Lo proLecL, LhaL dredglng
and pumplng work - beach nourlshmenL, as lL ls known -has become [usL a necessary parL of
$
llfe on Lhe shore. lL ls Lhe producL of an evoluLlon of beach proLecLlon sLraLegles. ConcreLe
grolns and Lhe remnanLs of seawalls, mosLly ln rulns, can be found all along new !ersey
beaches. 1hese makeshlfL soluLlons were doomed from Lhe sLarL. 1he former prevenLs sand
mlgraLlon along Lhe coasL so LhaL, say, Parvey Cedars, on Lhe norLh end of Long 8each lsland,
would accumulaLe plenLy of sand and Surf ClLy, furLher down Lhe lsland, would gradually lose all
Lhelrs. 1he laLLer blocks Lhe ocean from reachlng nelghborhoods, buL blocks lL Loo well so LhaL
Lhe waves churn vlolenLly back onLo Lhemselves, Laklng Lhe beach wlLh Lhem.
7
Cnce lnsLalled,
Lhese sLrucLures are very dlfflculL Lo fully remove.
LfforLs Lo replace beaches - boLh naLurally and accldenLally eroded - are ongolng, llkely
ln perpeLulLy. 1he mosL lllusLraLlve example of whaL exacLly Lhese efforLs lnvolve was
compleLed ln 2012, when Lhe Corps flnlshed Lhe lasL secLlon of Lhe CoasLal SLorm uamage
8educLlon pro[ecL, a Perculean feaL ln whlch 11 mllllon cublc yards of sand were dredged from
offshore sand banks, sprayed onLo Lhe beaches of norLhern L8l Lownshlps, and bulldozed lnLo
place aL a preclse grade wlLh a 22-fooL-hlgh, 120-fooL-long dune along Lhe back of Lhe beach.
8

SlxLy-flve percenL of Lhe $71 mllllon dollar prlce Lag was covered by WashlngLon, wlLh Lhe resL
dlvlded among sLaLe and local auLhorlLles.
9

1he pro[ecL ls as Slsyphean as lL ls Perculean, Lhough. 1wo years laLer, Sandy washed
every graln of Lhe pro[ecL away, and lasL !une Lhe Corps began Lhe work of rebulldlng lLs
manmade beaches once agaln.
10

8uL Lhls ls exacLly whaL was supposed Lo happen. 1he manmade beaches and dunes
would absorb and calm Lhe sLorm surge, proLecLlng Lhe oLher manmade sLrucLures beyond
Lhem. 1he L8l Lownshlps proLecLed by Lhe Corps' pro[ecL suffered less damage, ln general, Lhan
Lowns wlLhouL lL.
3
1he mosL recenL relncarnaLlon of Lhe damage reducLlon pro[ecL lncludes
funds Lo exLend large-scale beach renourlshmenL Lo Lownshlps furLher souLh, where Lhere are
sllghLly fewer mulLl-mllllon dollar summer homes.
11
(ln local llngo, Lo exLend Lhe beach pro[ecL
from Lhe have-mores" ln Lhe norLhern nelghborhoods Lo Lhe haves" ln Lhe souLhern
nelghborhoods.) Lven wlLhouL a masslve sLorm, Lhough, renourlshmenL wlLh 2 mllllon cublc
yards of sand ls scheduled Lo Lake place every seven years.
8

%
1he legal auLhorlLy behlnd Lhe renourlshmenL largely comes from easemenLs, slgned by
each lndlvldual beachfronL properLy owner up and down Lhe beach.
12
ln Lhe few cases - 12
properLy owners, or seven percenL - where resldenLs could noL be convlnced Lo slgn Lhe
easemenL, Lhe local governmenL uLlllzed emlnenL domaln slnce Lhe Corps would only go
forward wlLh Lhe pro[ecL lf everyone slgned on. WlLh Lhe summer loomlng - followed by
anoLher sLorm season - Lhe governmenL felL Lhe need Lo acL qulckly, so we wenL onLo people's
properLy and bulld a dune Lo proLecL Lhelr home," !onaLhan Cldham, mayor of Lhe Lownshlp of
Parvey Cedars, Lold 1he new ?orker lasL year.
3

1he erpeLual SLorm uamage 8educLlon LasemenL" granLed, ln conslderaLlon for Lhe
beneflLs Lo be recelved by Lhe CranLor from Lhe successful lmplemenLaLlon of Lhe ro[ecL, [.]
an lrrevocable, asslgnable, perpeLual and permanenL easemenL." 8uL lL dld noL only granL
access Lo Lhe Corps and Lhelr conLracLors. lL also relnforced Lhe auLhorlLy of Lhe publlc LrusL
docLrlne for new !ersey's beaches and, ln a sense, served as a remlnder LhaL Lhe beachfronL
properLy owners are only one of many owners of Lhelr sandy fronL yard and Lhe vlew of lL. lL Lhe
words of Lhe easemenL deed, lL served Lo lmplemenL Lhe ubllc 1rusL uocLrlne and ensure
permanenL publlc access, use and en[oymenL of Lhe beach and ocean."
12

1he maln sLlcklng polnL for Lhe holdouLs - and Lhe maln damages properLy owners were
compensaLed for ln emlnenL domaln - were Lhe loss of Lhe vlew, aL leasL from Lhe flrsL floor,
afLer 22 feeL of sand were plled ouLslde Lhelr door. 8uL Lhe poLenLlal Laklngs" were more Lhan
[usL Lhe vlew because under new !ersey coasLal law prlvaLe oceanfronL properLy exLends Lo Lhe
hlgh-Llde llne, so Lhe dunes by deflnlLlon were belng bullL on and occupylng prlvaLe land.
ln 8orough of Parvey Cedars v. karan, Parvey and hyllls karan's legal Leam argued LhaL
Lhey were enLlLled Lo greaLer compensaLlon Lhan offered by Lhe sLaLe afLer a porLlon of Lhe
properLy was Laken Lo bulld a dune Lo proLecL LhaL properLy. 1haL ls, Lhey argued LhaL Lhe [usL
compensaLlon" Lhey recelved was noL qulLe [usL. AfLer a couple years - and afLer Lhe dune
saved Lhelr home from belng desLroyed ln Sandy - Lhe new !ersey Supreme CourL reversed a
[ury's and appellaLe courL's declslons Lo award Lhe karans $373,000 based on Lhe lmpacLs Lhe
parLlal loss of Lhelr ocean vlew has on Lhelr properLy value. ln reachlng LhaL prevlous declslon,
Lhe lower courL had noL allowed Lhe [ury Lo conslder any poLenLlal lncreases ln properLy value
&
LhaL Lhe dune mlghL brlng - a move LhaL recelved new scruLlny afLer Lhe dune saved Lhe home
ln 2012. 1he Supreme CourL ruled LhaL omlsslon prevenLed a reasonable calculaLlon of [usL
compensaLlon, and accordlngly reversed Lhe declslon and remanded Lhe case for a new Lrlal.
13

1he hlghly publlclzed case - broughL by summer resldenLs over a pro[ecL LhaL wlll
proLecL Lhelr house buL also conLrlbuLe Lo Lhe proLecLlon of Lhe communlLy ln general -
encapsulaLed Lhe socloeconomlc and beach-use confllcLs LhaL seep lnLo each oLher on Lhls llLLle
splL of coveLed, fraglle land.

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WllmlngLon was abouL halfway, by Llme, from uC Lo Long 8each lsland. 8lghL afLer LhaL was Lhe
brldge, Lhe symbollc crosslng of Lhe uelaware onLo whaL ls essenLlally Lhe penlnsula of souLhern
new !ersey. 1hlngs slowed down once you Lurned off Lhe freeway lnLo Lhe plnes, an hour and a
half of foresLs and occaslonal farms: Lhe plne barrens, a wllderness of dense scrub plne kepL
shorL by Lhe sandy soll, unllke any lmage of new !ersey you mlghL have.
l was on Lhe Creyhound Lucky SLreak, whlch shuLLles uC's senlor clLlzens Lo Lhe ALlanLlc
ClLy caslnos and back. 1he fare lncluded $10 ln gambllng credlL. We pulled up Lo Lhe back door
of Caesar's. lL began Lo feel llke new !ersey.
lrom Lhere, Colleen, who had come up Lhe day before, drove me up Lhe coasL Lo
8arnegaL and Lhen Manahawkln and Lhen across Lhe causeway over Lhe bay onLo Long 8each
lsland, whlch greeLs you wlLh a masslve Culcksllver surf shop and Lhen conLlnues Lo Lhe rlghL
and lefL down Long 8each 8oulevard wlLh mlles of fudge shops and knlck-knack sLores, places
where you can buy cusLom sllk-screened L-shlrLs or hermlL crabs wlLh palnLed shells. Long 8each
8oulevard ls sllghLly hlgher Lhan Lhe slde sLreeLs slnce ln a dlsasLer lL would be Lhe only land
rouLe off Lhe lsland. lollowlng Sandy, lL, llke Lhe oLher sLreeLs, was burled ln sand unLll Lhe
bulldozers came.
1ucked ln Lhere somewhere was Lhe real esLaLe offlce where Colleen's dad worked. Pe
had secured a Lhree-sLory vlcLorlan for Lhe weekend - wraparound porch, one block from Lhe
waLer. Pls oldesL daughLer was geLLlng marrled Lhe nexL day, barefooL on Lhe beach.
'
MosL of Lhe houses on Lhls barrler lsland, parLlcularly ln Lhese flrsL couple blocks from
Lhe beach, were llke Lhls one: renLals or summer homes, slLLlng empLy more Lhan half Lhe year.
Colleen and her Lhree slbllngs, on Lhe oLher hand, had llved ln a Lwo-bedroom second-sLory
aparLmenL on Long 8each 8oulevard before relucLanLly movlng off Lhe lsland Lo 8arnegaL.
Per parenLs had haLed havlng Lo leave Lhe lsland. 1hey had meL Lhere ln Lhelr early
LwenLles, an alr-condlLloner repalrman from llorlda, recenLly reLurned from vleLnam, and a
!ersey beach babe who dabbled ln oll palnLlng. lL was Lhe qulnLessenLlal Shore sLory.
When Sandy hlL, lL washed away some of Lhe remlnders of Lhose memorles - and !lm's
[ob aL Lhe now-desLroyed real esLaLe offlce. 8uL ln some ways Lhe lsland had been sllpplng away
for decades. And !lm had been ln Lhe awkward poslLlon of maklng a llvlng by faclllLaLlng Lhe
very real esLaLe lnvesLmenL LhaL pushed longLlme, year-long resldenLs - Lownles" - llke hls
famlly off Lhe lsland Lhey loved.

---

1hls lnequallLy and Lhe dlvergenL prlorlLles ln whlch lL resulLed are on full dlsplay when a
dlsasLer llke Sandy hlLs. 1hose wlLh expenslve summer homes on Lhe lsland sLand Lo lose
subsLanLlal lnvesLmenLs - buL Lhey have oLher homes and have Lhe means Lo do everyLhlng
Lhey can Lo lnsure and proLecL Lhelr vulnerable beachfronL loL. CLhers have Lo walk away.
1he posL-Sandy slogan was sLronger Lhan Lhe sLorm." Cov. Chrls ChrlsLle reassured hls
sLaLe LhaL Lhey would rebulld, saylng l don'L belleve ln a sLaLe llke ours, where Lhe !ersey Shore
ls such a parL of llfe, LhaL you [usL plck up and walk away."
14
Shaken resldenLs were happy Lo
hear lL. 8uL many geologlsLs, cllmaLologlsLs and wary reporLers were dlshearLened.
8eLween 1970 and 2010, Ccean CounLy, whlch lncludes Lhe barrlers lslands L8l and
Absecon enlnsula and Lhe bayslde and lnland Lowns behlnd Lhem, grew fasLer Lhan any oLher
counLy ln Lhe sLaLe. 1haL growLh ls pro[ecLed Lo conLlnue. A caLegory 2 sLorm llke Purrlcane
Sandy puLs more Lhan 1.8 mllllon people ln new ?ork and new !ersey Lhe sLorm surge. A
caLegory 4 sLorm hlLs nearly 4 mllllon.
13

(
1hese communlLles exlsL because of Lhelr proxlmlLy Lo Lhe ocean, buL slnce Sandy
flngers have been polnLed aL lenlenL and shorL-slghLed coasLal developmenL pollcles as spurrlng
aL leasL some of Lhe furlous coasLal growLh. 1he Surfrlder loundaLlon says LhaL 93 percenL of
coasLal developmenL permlLs ln new !ersey are granLed, and ranked lL ln Lhe boLLom flve of
coasLal sLaLes ln Lerms of awareness and use of pollcles LhaL proacLlvely address coasLal eroslon
lssues.
16
ln some cases, Lhose pollcles have encouraged replaclng slngle-famlly homes wlLh
shopplng cenLers or condos, noL qulLe on Lhe scale of Mlaml's hlgh-rlses on Lhe beach, buL sLlll a
clear example of economlc dlvldes lnLersecLlng coasLal developmenL.
13
When ChrlsLle says Lhey
wlll rebulld, whaL exacLly wlll Lhey rebulld? lor whom? Who wlll be lefL off Lhe lsland? As Lhen-
Surf ClLy mayor Leonard Connors Lold Lhe new ?ork 1lmes ln 1987, ''1he lasL guy over always
wanLs Lo blow up Lhe brldge rlghL afLer he geLs here. Cod only made a llLLle blL of Lhls properLy,
and everyone wanLs lL.''

---

Sandy ls far from Lhe flrsL sLorm Lo ralse exlsLenLlal quesLlons abouL wheLher anyone can hold
onLo LhaL properLy. And masslve renourlshmenL pro[ecLs llke Lhe Corps' can only ever be
glganLlc, lncredlbly expenslve 8and-Alds. A year afLer Lhe sLorm, coasLal geologlsL 8ob ?oung,
who heads Lhe rogram for Lhe SLudy of ueveloped Shorellnes and ls a frequenL crlLlc of
englneered coasLal proLecLlon soluLlons wlshed for new !ersey Lo follow someLhlng llke Lhe
examples of AusLralla and new Zealand, whlch have managed reLreaL" pollcles whlch
lncenLlvlze abandonlng coasLal sLrucLures or communlLles LhaL are parLlcularly vulnerable Lo
rlslng seas or sLronger sLorm surges or rlslng sea levels.
17

noneLheless, oLher communlLles around Lhe counLry are llnlng up for englneerlng-heavy
Corps pro[ecLs llke Lhe one LhaL proLecLed norLhern L8l. And why noL? AfLer all, lf Lhere ls a
soluLlon LhaL can allow you Lo conLlnue Lo llve on Lhe shore for even a few more years or
decades, a slmple cosL-beneflL analysls mlghL well prove LhaL Lo be worLh lL. CeL guaranLeed
properLy Lax or Lourlsm dollars now or leave LhaL money on Lhe Lable because of poLenLlal
fuLure dlsasLers? lL ls noL hard Lo see why sLaLes mlghL choose Lhe former. 8uL Lhese
)
englneerlng pro[ecLs are noL a lasLlng soluLlon. nor are hlgher sLllLs for houses. And especlally
noL seawalls or grolns.
1housands or mllllons of years ago, Lhe offshore sandbar from whlch Lhe Corps dredged
up mllllons of cublc yards of sand Lo replace eroded L8l beaches wenL by anoLher name: barrler
lsland. 1he seas have rlsen and fallen, grown rougher and calmer for bllllons of years, and we
appear Lo nearlng anoLher lnflecLlon polnL ln LhaL consLanL LransformaLlon. When word came
LhaL Lhe lerrls wheel aL lanLasy lsland, Lhe 8each Paven amusemenL park where Colleen
worked as a carnle" durlng ldylllc !ersey Shore summers, had been Loppled by Sandy, she was
hearLbroken. 1hey Lurned ouL Lo be rumors, Lhe lerrls wheel was lnLacL and, ln facL, much of
Lhe worsL news we had heard Lurned ouL Lo have been overblown. 8uL Lhe lerrls wheel wlll be
knocked lnLo 8arnegaL 8ay evenLually. lf noL ln 2012 or Lhls year or nexL year, maybe Lhe year
afLer LhaL. LvenLually, a managed reLreaL" wlll need Lo begln.
Cne of Lhe maln argumenLs agalnsL beach renourlshmenL pollcles are LhaL Lhey creaLe a
false sense of securlLy. 8efore Lhe Corps' pro[ecL was compleLed, Lhere were Llmes when Lhe
ocean wenL rlghL up Lo Lhe rulns of seawalls ln Parvey Cedars. now, wlLh a wlde swaLh of sand
beLween houses and Lhe ocean agaln, lL ls easy Lo lmaglne Lhe genLle summer ocean would
never reach one's properLy. 8uL LhaL beach ls a sacrlflclal one, and wlll be gone as soon as Lhe
nexL sLorm hlLs.
"lf l was klng of new !ersey, for example, bulldlngs LhaL were wlLhln Lwo blocks of Lhe
beach, l wouldn'L replace Lhem lf Lhey'd been desLroyed. And l would Lry Lo move oLher
bulldlngs back from Lhe beach," Lhe uuke coasLal geologlsL Crrln llkey, llke 8ob ?oung anoLher
vocal member of Lhe debaLe, Lold n8 ln Lhe monLhs followlng Lhe sLorm.
18
CLhers have
quesLloned wheLher new !ersey - or oLher coasLal sLaLes - would be so brazen abouL allowlng
and encouraglng more coasLal developmenL lf Lhe sLaLe sLood Lo pay Lhe reconsLrucLlon and
lnsurance cosLs, polnLlng abouL LhaL wlLh 63 percenL of beach renourlshmenL covered by Lhe
federal governmenL, ln addlLlon Lo funds from lLMA, Lhe naLlonal llood lnsurance rogram and
oLher agencles, Lhere ls noL much rlsk Lo new !ersey Laxpayers or pollcymakers.
14


*
ln LruLh, some ln 1renLon have been soundlng Lhe alarm for years. Way back ln 2006,
Lhe new !ersey CoasLal ManagemenL rogram AssessmenL and LnhancemenL SLraLegy,"
lnLended Lo fulflll secLlon 309 of Lhe CoasLal Zone ManagemenL AcL, menLloned, eerlly, LhaL Lhe
n!CM carefully consldered elevaLlng Lhe rlsk of Lhe Purrlcane/1yphoon hazard Lo Plgh. 1he
speclal conslderaLlon of Lhls hazard sLemmed prlmarlly from Lhe credlble predlcLlons of Lhe
naLlonal WeaLher Servlce and oLhers LhaL Lhe currenL lnLerval of more numerous and more
severe ALlanLlc Lroplcal cyclones wlll conLlnue for aL leasL anoLher decade."
19

1he reporL conLlnues: Many parLs of new !ersey's densely populaLed coasLal area are
hlghly suscepLlble Lo Lhe effecLs of Lhe followlng coasLal hazards: floodlng, sLorm surge, eplsodlc
eroslon, chronlc eroslon, sea level rlse, and exLra-Lroplcal sLorms. 8econsLrucLlon of resldenLlal
developmenL and Lhe converslon of slngle famlly dwelllngs lnLo mulLl-unlL dwelllngs conLlnues
ln hazardous areas." 1hls Lable follows, wlLh Lhe Lable from Lhe 2010 updaLe of Lhe reporL on
Lhe rlghL-hand slde, showlng Lhe lack of progress ln changlng Lhe pollcles allowlng for LhaL
conLlnued developmenL:



1he 2010 updaLe, Lhe mosL recenL avallable, also dlscusses several reporLs on Lhe
lmpacLs pro[ecLed sea level rlse wlll have on new !ersey coasLal developmenLs. lL polnLs ouL, for
lnsLance, LhaL 42 percenL of Lhe land area wlLhln Lhe anLlclpaLed range of fuLure sea level rlse ls
"+
developed.
20
?eL Lhere conLlnues Lo be ever-lncreaslng resldenLlal and commerclal real- esLaLe
developmenL along Lhe sLaLe's densely developed coasLllne."
21

ls LhaL llkely Lo change or slow posL-Sandy? 1haL 2003 sLudy LhaL esLlmaLed sea-level rlse
would lnundaLe 1 Lo 3 percenL of new !ersey and occaslonally flood 6.3 Lo 9 percenL suggesLed
a range of adapLaLlon sLraLegles. 1helr Lop recommendaLlon: a gradual wlLhdrawal of
developmenL from some areas of Lhe new !ersey coasL."
4

1he 69 pollcy recommendaLlons of resldenL Cbama's Purrlcane Sandy 8ebulldlng 1ask
lorce prlorlLlze much-needed lmprovemenLs ln Lhe reslllency of Lhe elecLrlc grld, llquld naLural
gas llnes, and waLer supply Lo flood evenLs. 1hey also seek Lo lncorporaLe plannlng Lools such as
beLLer models of sea level rlse and 100-year flood evenLs lnLo efforLs Lo rebulld lnfrasLrucLure.
8uL Lhere ls noLhlng on encouraglng or even enLerLalnlng Lhe posslblllLy of some sorL of gradual
managed reLreaL from vulnerable coasLal areas.
22

A couple monLhs afLer Colleen and l broke up, we moved, separaLely, Lo Lhe oLher slde
of Lhe conLlnenL. Around Lhe same Llme, her slsLer and broLher-ln-law became pregnanL wlLh
Lhelr flrsL chlld. 1hey moved Lo a Llny norLh !ersey Lown, lnland, a half-hour drlve from Lhe
nearesL beach. Colleen's dad goL a [ob, beLLer pald, aL real-esLaLe offlce ln 8arnegaL, Lhe plne-
and sLrlp mall-surrounded Lown on Lhe malnland where Lhe kredells have llved slnce Colleen
was 9. She vlslLed afLer llLLle Cavln was born. 1hey spenL a week on L8l, surrounded by couslns,
umbrellas and Lhe carefully culLlvaLed dunes on whlch she had helped planL beachgrass as a kld,
or aL leasL Lhe newesL lncarnaLlons of Lhose dunes.



!"#$% '()*+
1. Cfflce of Sclence, n!uL. CllmaLe Change ln new !ersey: 1emperaLure, reclplLaLlon, LxLreme
LvenLs and Sea Level. (2013).
2. Mlller, k. C. A geologlcal perspecLlve on sea-level rlse and lLs lmpacLs along Lhe u.S. mld-
ALlanLlc coasL. !"#$%& ()$)#* ,- 3-18 (2013).
3. lrumoff, . C. eL al. +,-.#,-$/-0 +1/2"$* +%"-0* /- $%* 34 5,#$%*"&$. (unlon of Concerned
SclenLlsLs, 2007). aL <hLLp://mss3.llbrarles.ruLgers.edu/dlr/ouLpuLds.php?pld=ruLgers-
llb:33141&ds=ul-1>
4. Cooper, M. !. eL al. luLure Sea Level 8lse and Lhe new !ersey CoasL Assesslng oLenLlal
lmpacLs and CpporLunlLles. (2003).
3. Seabrook, !. 1he 8each 8ullders: Can Lhe !ersey Shore 8e Saved? 5*6 7,#8*# (2013).
""
6. CM PlsLory. 59:!; +,"&$< ="-"0< ;#,0#"2 (2007). aL
<hLLp://www.sLaLe.n[.us/dep/cmp/czm_hlsLory.hLml>
7. Pall, M. & llkey, C. LffecLs of Pard SLablllzaLlon on ury 8each WldLh for new !ersey. 9< +,"&$<
>*&< .- 771-783 (1991).
8. Long 8each lsland Shore roLecLlon ro[ecL. 5< 9< :*?$ !-@/#,-< ;#,$< +,"&$< !-0< (2012). aL
<hLLp://www.n[.gov/dep/ec/lbl_pro[ecL.hLm>
9. 8each nourlshmenL. 5< 9< :*?$ !-@/#,-< ;#,$< +,"&$< !-0< (2012). aL
<hLLp://www.n[.gov/dep/shoreproLecLlon/nourlshmenL.hLm>
10. 8ocheLLe, S. Army Corps Lo begln resLorlng L8l pro[ecL. 34 A#2B +,#?& !-0< ;%/1"C*?%/" :/&$<
="#< :*&< +*-$< (2013). aL
<hLLp://www.nap.usace.army.mll/Medla/news8eleases/Labld/4639/ArLlcle/13896/army-
corps-Lo-begln-resLorlng-lbl-pro[ecL.aspx>
11. new !ersey Shore roLecLlon, 8arnegaL lnleL Lo LlLLle Lgg lnleL, (Long 8each lsland, n!): lacL
SheeL. 34 A#2B +,#?& !-0< ;%/1"C*?%/" :/&$< ="#< :*&< +*-$< (2013). aL
<hLLp://www.nap.usace.army.mll/Mlsslons/lacLsheeLs/lacLSheeLArLlclevlew/Labld/4694/A
rLlcle/6447/new-[ersey-shore-proLecLlon-barnegaL-lnleL-Lo-llLLle-egg-lnleL-long-beach-
lslan.aspx>
12. ueed of uedlcaLlon and erpeLual SLorm uamage 8educLlon LasemenL. (See aLLached).
13. Albln, 8. D,#,)0% ,. E"#@*B +*C"#& F< G"#"-. A$1"-$/H ,/0- 11 (2013).
14. Coy, . Pey, Chrls ChrlsLle: uon'L 8ebulld ln Parm's Way. D1,,2< D)&/-*&&6**8 (2012). aL
<hLLp://moblle.buslnessweek.com/arLlcles/2012-11-01/hey-chrls-chrlsLle-donL-rebulld-ln-
harms-way>
13. 8udolf, !. Purrlcane Sandy uamage Ampllfled 8y 8reakneck uevelopmenL Cf CoasL.
E)../-0$,- ;,&$ (2012). aL <hLLp://www.hufflngLonposL.com/2012/11/12/hurrlcane-sandy-
damage_n_2114323.hLml>
16. Surfrlder loundaLlon. Lroslon 8esponse. D*"H%"?*C/" (2014). aL
<hLLp://www.beachapedla.org/Lroslon_8esponse>
17. ?oung, 8. A ?ear AfLer Sandy, 1he Wrong ollcy on 8ebulldlng Lhe CoasL. 7"1* !-@/#,-< IJK
(2013). aL
<hLLp://e360.yale.edu/feaLure/a_year_afLer_sandy_Lhe_wrong_pollcy_on_rebulldlng_Lhe_
coasL/2703/>
18. Ludden, !. uebaLe Cver 8ebulldlng 8eaches osL-Sandy CreaLes Waves. 5"$1< ;)L1/H >"C/,
(2013). aL <hLLp://www.npr.org/2013/01/30/170301306/debaLe-over-rebulldlng-beaches-
posL-sandy-creaLes-waves>
19. CoasLal ManagemenL Cfflce new !ersey ueparLmenL of LnvlronmenLal roLecLlon.
AssessmenL and LnhancemenL SLraLegy l? 2006 - 2010. (2006).
20. LaLhrop, 8. C. !. & Love, A. vulnerablllLy of new !ersey's CoasLal PablLaLs Lo Sea Level 8lse.
(2007).
21. Cfflce of CoasLal ManagemenL and WaLershed 8esLoraLlon. new !ersey CoasLal
ManagemenL rogram urafL SecLlon 309 AssessmenL. (2010).
22. Purrlcane Sandy 8ebulldlng 1ask lorce. Purrlcane Sandy 8ebulldlng SLraLegy: SLronger
CommunlLles, A 8eslllenL 8eglon. (2013).


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