Coastal experts and town officials along the Jersey Shore do not expect major beach erosion to follow Thursday's nor'easter.

Beach Erosion
Mark Kolbe, Getty Images
loading...

Jon Miller, professor of coastal engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology, calls this storm a run-of-the-mill nor'easter, but said areas impacted by Superstorm Sandy are expected to bear the brunt.

"Unfortunately, it seems like this nor'easter is going to be targeted for the biggest impacts from the middle of Monmouth County south to about Long Beach Island," Miller said.

However, as Miller also pointed out, many shore towns have built up large dunes in advance of these storms as they await a major beach re-nourishment project by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Toms River mayor Tom Kelaher said that following Sandy, his town has spent over $1 million to replenish sand in Ortley Beach and on privately-owned beaches that signed easements.

"Nothing is 100 percent, but we feel pretty confident that what we've done should get us through this storm," Kelaher said.

While erosion is not a major concern, according to Miller, flooding will continue to be an issue through Friday all the way up the coastline, past Atlantic City and on to Sandy Hook.

"The real problem here is that we have higher than normal astronomical tides, which in this storm happens to be enough to put us into the moderate flooding threshold," Miller said.

The Ocean County Office of Emergency Management, as well as the OEM in Seaside Heights, have been activated.

Meanwhile, hard-hit barrier island communities in Brick and Mantoloking got some good news Thursday. The federal government gave the green light to build a steel sea wall, and is seeking bids for the $36 million project. The work is expected to begin in February.

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM