My Trip up the New Jersey Shore – Devastation and Rebuilding
It has been just six months since New Jersey and New York were smashed by Superstorm Sandy. I am linked to that disaster in a special way as has been told hundreds of times personally and on television to millions in the US and the UK.
As you probably know my book described exactly such a storm in that location just a week before it happened. Ever since I have wanted to see the damage first hand. For the last two weekends I finally got to see the scene of the disaster up close. I drove the entire New Jersey shoreline from Cape May through Asbury Park. It is a contrast of devastation and rebuilding.
All along the coast there are areas of apparent normality, with homes in tact. Then there will be areas where they are still totally smashed and destroyed as if it happened recently.
Apparently the latter are still waiting for insurance processing to proceed with demolition. With summer fast approaching it is obvious that this will be anything but normal for most of these communities.
In the scene of contrasts in this photo, the roof of one home just smashed into a house that appears to be in rather good condition otherwise.
One of the most widely circulated images following the storm was that of a roller coaster ride that came to a rest on the wrong side of the beach. It can be seen here still sitting out in the ocean. Next to me in the foreground, one can see fresh lumber building the famous boardwalk in Seaside Heights, trying to get ready for the summer tourism season.
This will be a very tough summer for those in the New Jersey coastal areas. Some will enjoy the beach with apparent similarity to past years. But even if their home and those of neighbors is fine, there are obvious signs of carnage and devastation.
Even the ocean and the beach are not really back to normal. Many areas of the beach are so littered with wreckage including sharp metal and broken glass that everyone is being advised not to go barefoot.
The state police told me last weekend that there are still 80 vehicles missing from the storm that are believed to be in the nearby ocean just deteriorating occasionally releasing parts to wash up on the shore.
Amid areas of fun and scenic beauty are widespread devastation with hundreds, maybe thousands of houses that will take at least another year to rebuild. The discussion and fierce debate about how to rebuild is still taking place. Some, including Governor Christie would like to see new rules and policies so that structures are built higher and stronger to withstand future storms. Many homeowners are resisting due to the increased cost and the views that would be blocked.
A few are asking when there could be another “Sandy.” Could it be stronger? A very few are talking about the possibility of slowly rising sea level and stronger storms to bring even greater damage at some point in the future, but they are the minority. As summer approaches, bringing great beach weather, perhaps with even warmer weather than usual, the demand to get to the cooler shore will overcome the memory of that terrible Halloween storm for many.
It will be interesting to see what happens to real estate prices over the coming year. At the moment, the value of beach lots is as much as 25% off the pre-storm prices. That will no doubt recover considerably, but perhaps not fully. Amid the tragedy and personal devastation, Sandy has provided us with a large scale experiment to see how we adjust to a glimpse of the coming coastal crisis.