Rush to Rebuild Could Cause Long-Term Damage to NY/NJ Beaches

Just seven months ago Hurricane Sandy damaged 94 percent of New Jersey's beaches and eroded dozens of miles of coastline in New York. As waterfront communities rush to rebuild before summer, some fear disastrous long-term consequences.

1 minute read

May 20, 2013, 8:00 AM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj

"Nearly seven months after Hurricane Sandy decimated the northeastern coastline, destroying houses and infrastructure and dumping 11 billion gallons of untreated and partially treated sewage into rivers, bays, canals and even some streets, coastal communities have been racing against the clock to prepare for Memorial Day," reports Jenny Anderson.

"Many officials involved in storm recovery maintain that rebuilding after Hurricane Sandy will be different, incorporating the realities of climate change and rising sea levels. Some ocean engineers and coastal scientists are not so sure."

“My fear is that the environmental damage from Hurricane Sandy is going to be long-term and will result more from our response than from the storm itself,” said Robert S. Young, head of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University.

FULL STORY: Rebuilding the Coastline, but at What Cost?

Saturday, May 18, 2013 in The New York Times

Environment Land Use New Jersey New York disaster recovery Hurricane Sandy Beaches Coastline Erosion View More

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