Ocean City declares state of emergency for eroded beaches

Ocean City took a beating from the powerful nor’easter over the Columbus Day weekend, leaving its beaches and dunes badly eroded in some parts of town.

Underscoring the severity of the damage, City Council declared a local state of emergency Thursday night in hopes of securing state and federal funding to replenish the beaches and dunes from First to 13th streets as soon as possible.

Voting 7-0, Council approved a resolution formally declaring the state of emergency and noting the importance of healthy beaches “for storm protection, public safety, ecological balance, and tourism-based economic activity.”

“Ocean City is currently experiencing critical and accelerating beach erosion, including significant dune loss, destruction of protective berms, and threats to both public and private property, placing the City in an emergency state of vulnerability ahead of the winter storm season,” the resolution says.

Mayor Jay Gillian told Council that city officials spoke Thursday to U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew about the beach erosion. Van Drew, whose congressional district includes the Atlantic and Cape May coastal towns, has been working on plans for federal legislation that would provide a permanent source of funding for beach replenishment projects.

Ocean City doesn’t have the money to replenish the beaches by itself. By declaring a local state of emergency, the strategy is to have the state and federal governments step in and fund the restoration of storm-damaged beaches and dunes.

“Ocean City lacks the financial resources to independently implement large-scale beach replenishment, dune restoration, or long-term protective measures, and requires urgent and immediate assistance and funding from both the State and Federal governments to prevent further damage and danger to its residents and infrastructure,” according to the resolution.

Currently, there is no funding in the federal budget for beach replenishment projects nationwide that would be conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Ocean City is in line for beach restoration in 2026 – if the money is approved at some point by Congress.

“Planned beach replenishment efforts by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have been delayed, leaving critical areas unprotected and without a clear timeline for remediation,’’ the resolution says.

Gillian called the state of emergency “a tool” to help state and federal legislators fight for the funding to restore Ocean City’s depleted beaches.

    Dune damage was significant in the north end and downtown areas of the city, generally from First to 13th streets.
  

A copy of the City Council resolution will now be sent to a series of state and federal agencies involved with beach replenishment, as well as to Gov. Phil Murphy, Van Drew and other lawmakers representing Ocean City.

“(The) City of Ocean City stands ready to work collaboratively with all levels of government to protect the lives, homes, economy, and natural resources of its residents, and requests that this growing crisis be met with the urgency and seriousness it warrants,” the resolution says.

The damage from the Oct. 12-13 nor’easter was concentrated on the north end and downtown beaches, traditionally a vulnerable area in Ocean City for storm damage. The state of emergency encompasses the beachfront from First to 13th streets

The Columbus Day weekend storm represented another serious blow to some beaches already compromised by the earlier impacts of hurricanes Erin, Imelda and Humberto. Although the hurricanes loomed hundreds of miles offshore, they generated heavy surf and gusty winds that eroded the beaches and dunes.

“Recent coastal storms, including Hurricane Erin in August and the days-long powerful nor'easter in October have battered the coast, and exacerbated these conditions, severely diminishing the already compromised beach width and elevating the risk of coastal flooding and property damage during future weather events,” the resolution says.

Some sections of Ocean City’s dunes were sheared away by the big waves, leaving sharp drop-offs resembling mini-cliffs more than 5 feet high, according to a preliminary damage inspection conducted by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Other shore communities in Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic and Cape May counties were also pounded by the storm, suffering beach and dune erosion that ranged from minor to major, the NJDEP reported.

Gillian said last week that Ocean City is working on plans to restore the most seriously damaged beaches by trucking in sand. The plan is to have those beaches ready for the 2026 summer tourism season.

“We have a couple of other ideas that we’re working on, so I’ll be bringing that to Council shortly,” Gillian said during Thursday’s meeting.

In a related vote, Council approved a $30,200 professional services contract for the consulting firm ACT Engineers Inc. to obtain the regulatory state and federal permits that would be needed for beach restoration work – assuming that the funding comes through for the project.

“As you are aware, the Federal Government matching program failed to provide funding this year for beach nourishment activities and, although next year's funding has been promised, it remains tenuous,” Junetta Dix, ACT’s director of environmental services, wrote in an Oct. 20 memo to City Business Administrator George Savastano.

Dix added that the Columbus Day weekend storm clearly demonstrated that regular beach replenishment projects are paramount for the city to maintain the beaches and prevent wave breaching “resulting in loss of property and, possibly, life.”

    A barricade blocks access to Ocean City's eroded beach at Fifth Street immediately following the storm.