Sand dunes spare NJ homes from Sandy's destruction

(CBS News) LONG BEACH ISLAND, N.J. - Six weeks after superstorm Sandy, FEMA said more than half a million homeowners want federal help. At least 356,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, most in New York and New Jersey. But it turns out many other homes were not damaged because they were protected by million-dollar sand dunes

Jeff Davis rode out Sandy in his home on New Jersey's Long Beach Island. "We were lucky, we were lucky," he said.

His house was saved by a wall of sand, part of $16.8 million Army Corps of Engineers project completed six months before Sandy.

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"They basically brought the waves to a stand-still at this point," said Stew Farrell as he walked along a sand barrier. He is a coastal geologist examining how sand barriers stopped rising water pushed ashore by the storm.

"In places where the projects had not been constructed," said Farrell, "the damage was extensive and in some cases catastrophic."

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Found: Photos lost during superstorm Sandy

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Since 1986, the federal government helped New Jersey pay $700 million to build sand walls as high as 22 feet. But some critics, including Steve Ellis of Taxpayers for Common Sense, call it a beach bailout.

"What we need to do is reorient funding so cost is picked up by localities rather than tax payer. When you look at sea level rise, you're looking at a situation where we're not going to be able to hold back ocean with just sand any more.

Jeff Davis agreed with neighbors who opposed the dunes because they restricted beach access and blocked views. What he sees today has changed his mind.

"Can I put that crow down that I'm eating?" he joked.

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Sandy's devastation on Staten Island

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President Obama has requested that Congress allocate $60.4 billion for Hurricane Sandy aid. An unspecified amount will go toward re-building protective dunes washed away by Sandy.

[Robertapp]

Seth - i watched with interest your report on Hurricane Sandy and the Federal dune project on LBI, since i am a homeowner in Holgate on LBI and, thankfully, our home has damage but all very repairable. WHich brings me to my point.
Your report accurately reported 2 sides of this issue, but there are far more than 2 sides and, of course, subtleties which i realize you cannot possibly report in a short TV news segment.
However, i want to add another very important view that has not been reported much if at all since Sandy. As an oceanfront homeowner we have worked very hard for many many years protecting and building our dune with new fencing every year and plantings and supports. And the dune in front of our house was pretty big and wide, so much so that it held during the storm. It not only protected our home but the homes behind us and all the way to the bay only a block away. So you see, the federally funded dune project (which we agreed to many years ago) was and is not the only way to protect beachfront and shore property. Being smart about protecting the resources we have, even without spending millions and billions of taxpayer money, can also go a very long way to protecting ocean front and other vacation property and thereby allowing the shore to continue to contribute so hugely to the local and state economies and job markets.
thank you for listening
Roberta Brackman