ABSTRACT
Dune Response to Hurricane Sandy and Recovery along the NJ Shoreline
Dr. Stewart Farrell, Stockton University, Galloway, NJ
The New Jersey coast has 97 of its 127 miles of oceanfront coast with extensive development in
close proximity to the water’s edge in many cases. The existing dunes were evaluated where
present between 2006 and 2009 to determine the storm damage vulnerability on a 150-foot
shoreline segment basis. Storm damage from Hurricane Sandy strongly divided in impact
intensity between points south of the point Sandy’s eye-crossed the coast and points north of
that. The massive overwash at Ortley Beach and the inlet breach in Mantoloking were all driven
by the continued duration of northeast winds after the eye came ashore. Points to the south in
Cape May and Atlantic Counties saw 180 degree wind reversal that mitigated beach/dune
damage. The Dune Vulnerability Assessment model accurately predicted both the level and
extent of dune erosion. The Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) shore protection project work
completed on Long Beach Island proved 100% effective in preventing any storm wave damage
to private or public infrastructure in stark contrast to damage levels where the ACOE project
remained unbuilt.
The US Congress provided funding to the ACOE to restore at 100% federal cost all the NJ Shore
Protection Projects either previously constructed or at the stage of going to initial construction of
their project design template. Since the NJ coast was 75% under federal project management,
this has resulted in phenomenal outcomes for many NJ coastal communities. The continuing
conflict over real estate easements makes major event impact to northern Ocean County beaches
and dunes potentially devastating should a replay of Hurricane Sandy occur before solutions are
found. Point Pleasant Beach to Seaside Park remains the only segment of the NJ coast not under
either State or Federal management with beach nourishment projects.