Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty is traveling to coastal Mississippi on Wednesday to learn how a town about the same size as his recovered from a hurricane.

Belmar Storm Damage
Belmar Storm Damage (Michael Loccisano, Getty Images)
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Doherty will be in Pass Christian, Miss., for two days to learn more about how the town of 5,000 on the Gulf of Mexico bounced back after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The town, like Belmar, sustained major damage from wind and sea water after a major storm.

Doherty tells The Associated Press he's been emailing with Pass Christian Mayor Leo "Chipper" McDermott and has already gleaned valuable information about after-storm maintenance of municipal water and sewer systems and filing FEMA claims.

Belmar has decided to borrow $17 million to rebuild the 1.3-mile boardwalk destroyed by Hurricane Sandy in time for next summer.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

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