DEP: New Jersey beaches safe after Hurricane Erin with minor erosion
Following the offshore passage of Hurricane Erin, the DEP inspected all of New Jersey's beaches and found only minor damage and erosion.
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New Jersey's beaches are in good shape heading into the holiday weekend, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.
Following the offshore passage of Hurricane Erin, the DEP inspected all of New Jersey's beaches and found only minor damage and erosion.
In northern Ocean County, where replenishment efforts have been underway since spring, officials noted moderate slope erosion and some damaged dune fencing in Bay Head.
The concern now is that a lot of sand has shifted, which could pose hazards for swimmers.
“We are a little concerned about the sandbars breaking like they did with the rescue a couple of weeks ago,” said Jack Caucino, chief lifeguard for the borough of Lavallette.
A safe holiday weekend is the goal of all lifeguards.
But when you combine the ongoing beach replenishment with the chaotic waves from Hurricane Erin a week ago, “You're probably going to find that the sandbars have moved,” said Caucino.
In front of those sandbars are deep water gullies.
Lavallette lifeguard Hunter Grasso showed News 12 these deep water zones just steps away from dry sand, made even deeper by the storm.
News 12’s Jim Murdoch went into the ocean on Philadelphia Avenue. He noted that someone who is only around 4 feet tall – like a child – would not be able to stand on the ocean’s floor just a few steps off the beach.
North Island Lifeguards Chief Jay Vitale sees similar conditions in Mantoloking, another beach undergoing replenishment.
“Having a storm send that sheer volume of water towards us, like Erin independently. Each one of those can cause loads of problems for us. The two happening together, really threw us through a loop,” said Vitale.
Officials say that the bottom line is to have fun this weekend, go into the ocean, but only where lifeguards are on duty. Hurricane Erin may be a memory, but the aftereffects will be here for quite some time.
“We will be full staffed. We will be able to have all of our beaches open this weekend,” said Caucino.
