Nov 25, 2009 9:00 pm US/Eastern
NJ Governor Seeks Disaster Declaration After Storm
ATLANTIC CITY (AP) ―
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Locals and visitors check the damage to 2nd & Kennedy, North Wildwood, as high tide returns one more time.
JG
Gov. Jon Corzine asked President Obama on Wednesday to declare much of the Jersey shore a disaster area due to damage from a recent coastal storm.
A presidential declaration would clear the way for federal rebuilding aid.
In a letter sent to the president on Wednesday, Corzine wrote that damages will exceed $49 million. He said emergency funds to restore beaches, dunes and structures are needed immediately to protect lives and homes from further winter storms now that many coastal areas are unprotected.
"Beach erosion is extensive," Corzine wrote to Obama. "Many of the beaches along our coast have been eroded to the point they offer little protection from future storms. The damages already sustained to the beaches and dunes will render New Jersey particularly vulnerable to these weather systems until restoration is completed."
Corzine also wrote that the beaches are a crucial part of the state and local economies. Tourism is New Jersey's second-largest industry, accounting for nearly $39 billion a year, much of it from the shore.
The governor wrote that the storm, which lasted from Nov. 11 to 15, caused extensive erosion in Cape May, Atlantic and Ocean counties. Roofs were blown off buildings, a key shore bridge was damaged and had to be closed when it was struck by a wayward barge, dunes were wiped out and entire communities flooded.
The nor'easter kept water levels high over several successive tides and has been called one of the worst to hit the Jersey coast in nearly 20 years.
(© 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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