Jersey Shore residents cautious, but not afraid as hurricane season begins

Tuesday was the first day of the 2021 hurricane season. And while there are no storms currently threatening the New Jersey coastline, Jersey Shore residents are keeping an eye on the potential for storms.

News 12 Staff

Jun 1, 2021, 9:57 PM

Updated 1,226 days ago

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Tuesday was the first day of the 2021 hurricane season. And while there are no storms currently threatening the New Jersey coastline, Jersey Shore residents are keeping an eye on the potential for storms.
The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration is predicting a 60% chance of what they call an "active season." The administration is predicting 13-20 storms with 3-5 major hurricanes.
The prediction is based on warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures, combined with enhanced West African monsoons.
On a beautiful day at the beach in Brick, no one was thinking about hurricanes. Homeowners are still in preparation for the summer season.
“I’m not concerned. If I’m here, I stay,” says Jim Dowdle of Lavallette.
Dowdle's home is elevated. The threat of storms and having to buy flood insurance hasn't stopped anyone from moving into the areas. Any new construction has pilings pushing up homes to avoid future floodwater.
"There's nothing for sale here. After COVID started, people came in droves and bought up every available lot or house for sale,” Dowdle says.
For Barbara Incitti in Ocean Beach, it's the same.
“I think we are prepared and if I think anything will happen, I’m out,” she says. “It’s like a different world down here because everybody has gone up.”
For some business owners, especially those like Tony G, who owns the Ocean Hut Surf Shop, the start of the hurricane season is a love-hate relationship.
"We love the surf that comes with the hurricane. We do not like destruction or the disruption,” he says.
When Sandy surged, the Ocean Hut took on 3 feet of water.
“We made drastic improvements to the structure and put a whole new interior in,” Tony G says.
He eventually recovered. But for anyone living at the Shore, the new construction which seems to rise higher and higher into the sky, is a constant reminder that there will be storms lurking out in that ocean for the next several months.