EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated to include new information from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and Dewey Beach.
With only a few weeks until Memorial Day, erosion, scarfing and other damage is visible along many miles of Delaware’s oceanside beaches.
A coastal storm brought winds over 70 miles per hour to the area this past Saturday and Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Now, beaches in Rehoboth, Dewey and Lewes are mere slivers at high tide.
Dewey Beach experienced downed dune fencing and scarfing. The town emailed residents around 4 p.m. Thursday announcing all beach access points will be closed until further notice “due to dangerous conditions on our beaches.”
“Damaging wind gusts and high tides have continued for the past few days, making it difficult for the town and state agencies to properly assess the full extent of the damage,” the town said in an email Wednesday.
In Rehoboth Beach, beach access points between Rehoboth Avenue and the Henlopen Hotel have been closed and caution tape strung up. Multiple jetties normally hidden by sand are uncovered.
“The wind is still going, so we’re not really in full cleanup mode yet,” said city spokeswoman Lynne Coan. “I’m hearing people saying the damage is the worst they’ve seen in the past five years or so.”
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The most visible effect of the storm in Lewes was in the Savannah Road beach parking lot, where windblown sand covered the concrete. Mayor Ted Becker said the city had it mostly cleaned up Tuesday afternoon.
“We had a lot of erosion,” he said. “People were telling me they couldn’t walk on the beach when the tide was in.”
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is focusing on “restoring safe access to dune crossovers, some of which are currently closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic from storm damage,” according to department spokesman Michael Globetti.
Because the storm occurred during a restricted time of year for beach replenishment, largely due to “migrating shorebirds and other wildlife” which rely on the beach, Globetti said, the department can’t immediately begin moving or adjusting sand. The environmental window in which this is possible opens back up on Oct. 1, he added.
The state works in concert with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on beach replenishment projects, but Corps Public Affairs Officer Steve Rochette said it’s unlikely the storm will be categorized as “extraordinary” and qualify Delaware beaches for emergency repairs.
However, the Corps recently received federal funding to conduct “routine periodic nourishment” at several locations in Delaware, Rochette said.
Rehoboth, Dewey, Bethany, South Bethany and Fenwick Island beaches will likely be replenished in the winter and spring of 2022 and 2023, according to Rochette, while Lewes will likely be replenished in the fall of 2023.
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