DELAWARE - The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is assessing conditions along the state’s ocean and Delaware Bay beaches following the storm.
DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship is documenting erosion and dune damage. The agency said crews are prioritizing restoration of vehicular beach access needed for emergency services, followed by public access where conditions allow.
DNREC said conditions vary by location. Some beaches and dunes experienced significant erosion, while coastal and back-bay communities saw flooding after persistent winds and elevated tides over multiple tide cycles.
The agency said Delaware’s constructed dunes performed their intended function during the storm.
DNREC said the dunes are designed to absorb the force of waves and storm surge and lose sand in the process, helping protect communities, roads and infrastructure behind them.
“None of the constructed dunes along Delaware’s public beaches breached during the storm,” DNREC said in a Facebook post.
The agency is also monitoring natural recovery, including sand bars forming offshore that can provide sand that gradually moves back toward the beach.
DNREC said it will work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on an emergency assessment this week of some of the hardest-hit beaches for potential federal assistance.
The agency said it will continue working with the Corps and other federal partners to identify opportunities and available funding to rebuild and restore beaches and dunes where additional intervention is needed.
