On Saturday, I had some time to myself and I drove out to Manasquan. I had heard that the beachfront was finally re-opened to non-residents. I joined many other curious beach-folk as we walked around on the sand in the gray, cold, dampness.
This is the northern end of Manasquan's promenade. (They never had a traditional boardwalk, rather, an asphalt walkway. They did have dunes, but obviously they were not completely effective at preventing a disaster for the beach-front properties.)
The area below is exactly where the kids' play structure used to be. No sign of it now.
Manasquan is unique in that there is a row of homes that are beach-front, and almost always a home built immediately behind it- an "ocean view". That home backs up to the street, with an alley-way allowing for access.
The ocean brought sand through one home and into another. Homes that were built on a higher, solid foundation seemed to have fared better than those that were not.
On the other end of Manasquan, near the inlet, the promenade was non-existent. Several flags had been planted in the sand on the beach there.
I remember watching these homes being built. Seems that this one lost the front porch.
This is the public restroom-- a good illustration of smart construction that purposely raised the foundation of the building. But Sandy pretty much re-wrote what the standards will be for the future.
The debris was everywhere-- on the beach, in the roads... Garbage still being piled up, folks doing demolition work, WEEKS after the storm was over.
Look closely at the garage doors below-- you can see the sand that is completely covering them, like a cloudy, dirty film.
What happens when the sand comes into your garage, and you don't clear it out.
This small restaurant, below, is clearly wary of looters.
All along the Jersey shore, generations of families have bought, maintained, and lived in the homes there. They're passed down from mother to daughter, listed in wills as having to "stay in the family", and many of those homes no longer have a mortgage. However, this means that they do not qualify for FEMA funds. Long story, but most do not have flood insurance, and can't afford to bring their homes 'up to specs', qualify for the insurance, and then pay it. Many, many of these people have to simply scrape up whatever funds they can and rebuild so that it is live-able... but if they were to resell in the future, or were unable to overcome the enormous tasks of cleaning & rebuilding... Well, let's just say that many folks are simply walking away from it all. Devastated and exhausted. They are required to clean up their mess before selling the land, but many are simply selling for less and taking what they can get.
The home above had a fire.
Below, Gee Gees on the left. The one solid beach-front arcade... where you could get a reliable bite to eat before hitting the beautiful beach. The lifeguard stand that was once at the end of this road is now home to a very large crane.
We're waiting to see what you'll become, Manasquan. Best of luck.
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