Salisbury Beach residents brace for another storm, dune rebuilding project underway
SALISBURY - Residents in the seaside town of Salisbury are bracing for another potentially powerful storm that could hit early next week. "There's nothing supporting the bottoms on either side," said resident Jeff Sterling looking at his damaged beachfront stairs.
One more blow from a storm and he thinks he'll lose the steps altogether and potentially take the porch with them. "If the waves come up and smash against this it's all going to go," said Sterling.
It's what happened in mid-January with residents still recovering from damage done during two coastal storms including his neighbor's three-tier deck.
The sun was shining on Salisbury Beach Thursday, but homeowners are bracing for a nor'easter that could be on the horizon. "It would be another high tide as the storm hits. Not like a king tide January 13, but still high enough to devastate areas with so much sand being lost," said John Housianitis with the Salisbury Beach Betterment Association.
Sand is what beachfront homeowners are counting on right now. All in the midst of a dune rebuilding project that began just Tuesday this week. Eighteen wheelers are hauling in 30 tons of sand at a time. It's an effort to shore up one mile and a half of beach with 20,000 tons of sand in total as a barrier to the vulnerable homes.
"As you know barrier beach is sacrificial sand," said Salisbury Selectman Mike Colburn. "We're trying to compact it and get it on as fast as possible."
It's a four-to-six-week project that is essentially a race against the clock. With next week's potential storm, it could stop operations for a couple of days. "We don't want to come out Monday and Tuesday and be placing sand while a nor'easter is approaching and then hitting, taking new sand away we just replaced," said Tom Saab with Salisbury Beach Citizens for Change.
That's the dilemma for the homeowners, many who are paying themselves for the project to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars. "When we lose the dunes we truck in sand, you rebuild to protect your property and you keep doing it," said Saab.
Until a more permanent solution can be found with help from the state. For now, they're trying to beat the hand of Mother Nature.
