Community Corner

As Rebuilding Continues, Shore is Open for Business

Tourism commissioner says rental market is healthy.

Though immense devastation from Superstorm Sandy remains visible up and down the New Jersey coastline, beaches, boardwalks and even rental homes are ready for the annual influx of summer tourists that will begin this weekend, officials said Thursday at the annual "State of the Shore" event in Belmar.

The State of the Shore report is presented by state officials and the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium every year before Memorial Day weekend kicks off, but this year it evolved to mark the unofficial reopening of the Shore area following Sandy.

With emergency repairs to state and local infrastructure damaged by the storm now complete, work has started on the state's long term recovery, said Bob Martin, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection.

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That longterm recovery, he said, includes rebuilding everything from roads to boardwalks to businesses and homes, as well as ensuring the safety of swimmers and boaters this summer.

"We will be side-scanning the entire coastline of New Jersey, looking for debris close to the beaches," said Martin, referring to side-scan sonar, a technology that can detect submerged objects.

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Crews have scanned about 55 percent of the coast, Martin said, and have removed debris that remains. Some towns, such as Brick, have used dive teams to physically survey the water line. Crews from CrowderGulf and AshBritt, two state contractors, have been removing storm debris from the New Jersey's inland waterways, including Barnegat Bay, for months.

The scanning will be completed within four weeks, said Martin.

"Virtually all the beaches will be 100 percent open by Memorial Day, which is extraordinary given the size of the storm we saw," said Martin.

State data shows 90 percent of all public access points along the ocean will be open, DEP officials said.

Nearly seven months after Sandy struck, state officials said few items are still washing up on shore and the vast majority of debris has been cleaned up. Speaking to reporters, Martin said one of the few areas where debris has been seen washing up lately is Island Beach State Park.

Fears of a Jersey Shore without boardwalks, beach access or boating have not come to fruition, however, and officials were confident that the lucrative tourism industry would be back up and running for summer 2013.

"We are open," said Grace Hanlon, executive director of New Jersey Tourism. "Over 75 percent of our rentals are going to be available this summer; 95 percent of our hotels are open."

The state broke a record for visitor spending last year to the tune of $37 billion, with the four Shore counties — Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic and Cape May — responsible for $19 billion, said Hanlon.

"We have to make sure that we have a vibrant tourism community that we're supporting this summer so that we can have the economic benefits," said Hanlon. "We hit it out of the park last year."

Challenges Remain

Despite the progress made in the tourism sector post-Sandy, officials concede that challenges remain, including rebuilding residential areas, infrastructure, and finding ways to mitigate the damage of future storms.

Martin said Gov. Chris Christie would continue to push hard for oceanfront homeowners to sign easements that will allow a federal dune re-nourishment project to go through. Areas with strong dunes during Sandy, he said, came through the storm with less damage. Stronger dunes, many say, may have also prevented the breach of Ocean County's northern barrier island at Mantoloking that resulted in the flooding of tens of thousands of homes on either side of Barnegat Bay.

"We have to do everything we can to rebuild those beaches so we can be ready for the next storm season," said Dr. Jon Miller, a research assistant professor at Stevens Institute of Technology who delivered the State of the Shore report. "I've heard several people say, 'Superstorm Sandy was unique and we're not going to experience another storm like that.' I would say that's certainly wrong. We are going to experience storms like that; we have experienced storms like that."

While the debate over how to best rebuild will likely continue for months, if not years, the Shore's crown jewel – its 130 miles of coastline – is ready to welcome swimmers, boaters and anglers this weekend.

"The water is clean, the ocean is clean, and New Jersey is open for business," said Martin.


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