Back Beach Dunes Curtail Major Flooding in Crest

WILDWOOD CREST – The most southern member of the Wildwoods seems to have fared relatively better than its sister communities on Five Mile Beach because of its extensive back beach dune system and storm preparedness.
“Storm preparedness is vital,” said Kevin Yecco, the borough’s Municipal Clerk. “I think we were fully prepared in Wildwood Crest.
“We came through it far better than many of the coastal communities to our north and south,” he said.
While the borough may have made out better than other communities, it was not untouched by Hurricane Sandy.
“We had extensive damage to our beach walkways from all the elements,” said Yecco. The bike path was not damaged.
With its wide beach as a buffer acting as a deterrent from water washing across town, the borough did sustain damage to its bayfront including bulkhead undermining as well as damage to railings along the bayfront street ends, said Yecco.
Many were washed away; many were damaged, some beyond repair. The city’s bay front gazebo was undamaged by Hurricane Sandy’s wind, rain, tides and surges. Damaged were the beach walkways that connect the bulkheads to the beach area. Yecco said they were thrown about with the tidal flooding and winds.
“Wildwood Crest’s beach, together with our back beach dune system prevented the storm surge from breaching our bulkheads,” said Yecco.
Many of the dunes that were pivotal in saving the bulkheads and preventing water from washing over them, were washed away.
Yecco said the borough will be conducting a total beach assessment with its engineer. After the assessment, the borough will begin to remove debris from its beaches and will develop a plan to refortify the now damaged back beach dune system.
The borough suffered minimal flooding because, unlike other municipalities, the ocean and bay never met on borough streets.
“The flooding wasn’t as much as a problem as it was in the lower lying to our north, particularly Wildwood and North Wildwood,” said Yecco.
With a year-round population of approximately 4,000 residents, most heeded the county and state’s mandatory evacuation notice.
Yecco said the city’s emergency responders, police, firefighters, and public works department employees who worked around the clock should be “lauded and acknowledged. They were there to serve the residents of the borough of Wildwood Crest.”
Even in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, workers continue their work as they assess and clean up.
Public Works employees will continue picking up debris from homes.
“We’ll be making routine stops throughout the borough to pick up any storm damage debris,” said Yecco.
Sandy’s financial impact to the borough has not yet been tallied.
“We’re making those totals, now,” said Yecco. “That will be done in conjunction with the Superintendent of Public Works, the engineer, the CFO along with the Chief of Police.”