Jersey Shore towns getting ready for impact of weekend nor'easter
Towns along the Jersey Shore are getting ready for the impact of a nor'easter that is expected to bring heavy rain and coastal flooding this weekend.
Sea Bright sits in between the ocean and Shrewsbury River, and Mayor Brian Kelly says with high tide, heavy rain and strong winds, water overflow is inevitable.
"In particular, in the center of town, it really floods all the side streets and sometimes it can go all the way up to Ocean Avenue, which is a state highway," he said.
That's why emergency water rescue vehicles are on standby and Sea Bright is finishing up a bulkhead project along the river and working this fall on beach replenishment.
"This is going to build our defenses on the ocean side, give us a nice buffer, allow us to put more sand dunes in and protect us from nor'easters like this," Kelly said.
"Watching the wind. If the wind changes, we'll be alright, but if it keeps going like this, we are going to get quite a bit of water," former Sea Bright Police Chief Kenneth Johnson said.
"So, when the water starts moving up, you gotta move your car," resident Leslie Johnson added. "I think I'll move my car earlier up [to] higher ground."
At Alice's Kitchen, cafe owner Alice Gaffney said she takes steps to protect her business.
"We do have sand bags to put around, and we're just here to weather it," she said.
Waves, which were already pretty impressive Thursday, are expected to get even taller this weekend, and the winds will be picking up as we go into the weekend.
