Salisbury residents say storm destroyed sand wall that cost more than $500,000 to build
SALISBURY - Salisbury residents say the battle to save their storm-ravaged beach feels frustrating and futile. After they poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into replenishing the sand, this past weekend's storm washed about half of it back out to sea.
"Water came up and it hit the house, I mean you can see it on the side of the home. So, it did come up and came to our doorstep basically," said Janet Harty, who's among the residents who pooled resources. They hired a contractor to build a protective sand wall between the ocean and their homes.
"We collected approximately $600,000 and placed approximately 16,000 tons of sand," said Tom Saab, who heads a group called Salisbury Beach Citizens for Change. With so much of the sand now gone, he worries about the next storm. "These dunes...if they weren't put here over the last four weeks, the ocean would have come right through, hit the property, and went out onto Route 1A," he said.
On Monday, Route 1A, which is North End Boulevard, was covered in water during high tide. The beach was so unstable, the State Department of Conservation and Recreation closed off certain access points with yellow caution tape.
On Wednesday, state officials plan to meet with town leaders and residents to talk about a more permanent fix. State Senator Bruce Tarr said the state is considering a plan to bring in more sand on a more frequent schedule. "Regular nourishment, not on an episodic basis, not on a reactionary basis, but taking large volumes of sand and regularly placing it on the beach," he explained.
Some residents are calling for a concrete or stone wall, but Tarr said state law prohibits what's called a 'hard structure" on that particular beach.