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Upper Township details storm damage, credits lifeguards and public works for rescue and cleanup
Summary
Committee members described rapid tide and dune damage after Hurricane Aaron, credited public works for debris removal and lifeguards for a Saturday water rescue, and said full dune restoration will wait until tides stabilize and regulatory approvals are met.
The Upper Township Committee on Aug. 22 heard officials describe rapid flood and dune damage after storm surge, and pledged continued cleanup and restoration work.
"I got a text message at 7:02 p.m. that the tide is going to rapidly come up," said Mr. Zach Columbo, who gave the committee a timeline of cleanup operations and damage to beach access points. Columbo said dune cuts in some places measured "clearly over eight feet" and that public works focused on removing debris rather than attempting dune sculpting during successive high tides.
Why it matters: committee members said public safety and regulatory limits guided the response; moving heavy equipment onto saturated beaches risked further erosion and losing any temporary repairs.
Columbo credited lifeguards and public works for a rapid rescue and recovery on Saturday afternoon. "Our lifeguards did a phenomenal job," he said, describing a capsized wave runner and the guards' beach evaluation and transport of the person ashore. The committee agreed to recognize the lifeguards at a future meeting.
Staff reported that, after initial closures, six beach accesses were reopened by Monday: Sherman, Summer, Tecumpsa, Vincent, Webster, Whitaker and Willard. officials said public-works crews cleared debris at Beasley's Point and maintained essential township services during the emergency.
Committee members said full dune restoration will proceed cautiously and be coordinated with applicable regulations; one member warned that work carried out during high tides or the new-moon phase would likely be undone by subsequent tides. The committee also said it will seek any available aid or coordination with county and state partners and that several mayors planned a meeting with their congressman on regional impacts.
The committee did not set a firm completion date for dune restoration; members said follow-up planning and regulatory clearance will determine timing.
