My Report from the Northern Jersey Shore, Memorial Day Weekend 2013
By Christopher Canarelli | The Save Jersey Blog
Unlike our Blogger-in-Chief, Save Jerseyans, I hail from more northerly parts of our fair state and as is the case with North Jersey vs. South Jersey, we frequent different areas of the Jersey Shore.
So as Matt has done, I am going to give a report from my region of the Jersey Shore.
Most of my life, due to both family history and geographic interest, I have frequented the Two Rivers area of the Jersey Shore. For those of you not as familiar with the geography of New Jersey, these communities, located in the northernmost part of the Jersey Shore in the area where the Shrewsbury and Navesink Rivers and empty into the Sandy Hook Bay. The oceanfront communities of Long Branch, Monmouth Beach and Sea Bright, along with Sandy Hook are located on the narrow barrier peninsula that stands between the Atlantic Ocean and Two Rivers. These communities took a particularly hard pounding from Sandy.
I will refer you to a video/documentary produced by Charlotte Nagy, a student at nearby Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, that shows the damage in the area, especially in Sea Bright:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF9oABZqyl8.
I have witnessed firsthand the rebuilding efforts over the past few months and I want to report on what I saw on Memorial Day…
Of the three towns, Long Branch fared the best. The most noted casualty is that the boardwalk from Pier Village south to West End was lost in the storm and has not yet been rebuilt.
Temporary beach access points have been built and the city has modified Ocean Avenue, along the beachfront. Mayor Adam Schneider claimed in a February 2013 Patch article that the city is not dependent on its boardwalk in this area, hence the reason it has not been rebuilt quite yet.
Over at Pier Village and North, the Sandy damage was minor, and over the weekend, the scene very much resembled past years; lots of crowds, angling for a parking spot along the beach, palm trees planted on the beach and at the Ocean Place Tiki Bar, bands playing and the bars hopping. Construction has also begun on the final phase of Pier Village!
The restaurants, bars, shops and hotels are all open for business.
Moving up the peninsula, we begin to see the extent of the damage of Sandy still present. In Monmouth Beach, rebuilding of residences and businesses is apparent, but damage from the storm is still present, as is the evidence of flooding, when one sees sand on the wrong side of the seawall; along the pedestrian path of Ocean Avenue, since it was taken over when the Ocean breached the wall during the storm.
The damage in Sea Bright is even more apparent and driving up Ocean Avenue; then it really hits you what this storm had done. Sea Bright is on the narrowest part of the peninsula (barely one block wide in some parts) and they’ve faced flooding before, but the extent of the damage from Sandy will leave one in shock. Remember, this town was closed off to outsiders weeks after the storm, not only because of the extensive damage, but also because of the fear of natural gas leaks/explosions.
Over six months after the storm, many houses and apartments have not been re-occupied, Donovan’s Reef, The Rum Runner, The Dockside and Merri-Makers (which will reportedly not rebuild) have all been damaged so greatly by Sandy that they will not be opening this summer.
On a more promising note, the beach clubs of Sea Bright are all operational, downtown businesses are reopening and the public beach has been rebuilt and is open. While they still have a long way to go, to see where Sea Bright is today is a testament to its residents and its community leaders. Mayor Dina Long has done a stellar job leading this community through its darkest hour, and it is noteworthy that this Democrat, who, with her community, faced Sandy head-on, is crossing party lines to endorse Governor Christie for re-election.
I know this area of the Jersey Shore well – I grew up spending my summers here, I’ve worked in this region, I completed my Masters Degree in this region and I still spend many a summer day in this region. In the wake of Sandy, Governor Christie spoke of the personal connection many have to the Jersey Shore and the pain we felt when we saw these areas hammered by the storm.
Six months later, it is true – we are “Stronger Than the Storm.”
The Jersey Shore, especially the Two Rivers area, is open for business and I hope you all head down for a visit!
