Communities at the Jersey Shore, including Lavallette and Seaside Heights, are prepping for Isaias as tropical storm warnings have been issued for parts of New Jersey.

The Army Corps of Engineers Dune project, which was initiated after Superstorm Sandy, should certainly come in handy Tuesday – a project that not everyone agreed with initially.

Due to the protection, the bigger concern in the storm may be the bayside of these beach towns.

"More so it's going to be the rainfall here," says Lavallette Mayor Walter LaCicero. "Our storm drains really can't handle that the height of the bay doesn't allow it to flow into the bay."

Unlike the ocean side, which is well protected by the recently installed dunes, residents in Lavallette can expect, at the very least, standing water Tuesday on the bayside of town. Seaside Heights is expecting much of the same. The Army Corps Beach Replenishment & Dune Project has built a wall of protection, even though it wasn't always the most popular plan.

 

With both towns filled with vacationers and the pandemic to consider, the topic of evacuations comes up.

"We do have some concerns there," says Seaside Heights Mayor Tony Vaz. "We have our emergency management crew working on it and we are well marked as far as evacuation routes are concerned. So, we are now. I got a hope that will use common sense to get out of here quickly too, but right now I don't for see that."

Mayor LaCicero says Lavallette is breaking records for the amount of beach badges it has sold already this season, but still feels comfortable that the storm will not be too much of an issue.