Crews began building a second, temporary dune berm in Ortley Beach as heavy surf generated by Tropical Storm Hermine began to pound local beaches.
The secondary dune was being built by workers in front loaders who were moving beach sand up the shoreline, placing it in front of the first temporary berm that had been built before the summer season. The crews were working the entire length of the neighborhood, including in the vulnerable section between Third Avenue and the Golden Gull condominium complex, where a small breach occurred during the Jan. 2016 nor’easter.
In Seaside Heights, the borough announced that sandbags would be available at the Hiering Avenue beach, provided by the borough’s Office of Emergency Management.
Gov. Chris Christie declared a state of emergency for preparedness purposes, but no travel bans or evacuations have been announced. The Ocean County Sheriff’s Department announced – twice – on Saturday that no evacuations were being planned for the remainder of the day.
According to the 2 p.m. update from the National Hurricane Center, Hermine was forecast to regenerate as a hurricane off the Delmarva peninsula by 8 p.m. Sunday, however the current track takes the storm slightly east of previous forecasts, meaning New Jersey could potentially be spared the worst of its effects.
