Our Beaches Are Our First Line of Defense. We Need to Restore Them

Storms test us. They test our communities, our infrastructure, and our preparedness. But they also remind us why the work we do before the storm matters.

I live at the Jersey Shore, too. I know the worry that comes with watching a powerful storm move along our coastline and wondering what it will leave behind.

This weekend’s nor’easter was a tough one. From Sandy Hook to Cape May, strong winds, high surf, flooding, and erosion took a toll on our coastline. For residents, businesses, and communities that depend on our beaches, the impact is more than a headline. It is personal.

And when the storm passes, the questions begin. How much damage was done? How quickly can the sand be replaced? When will our beaches be restored?

Those are legitimate concerns. But restoring a beach after a major storm takes time.

Beach replenishment is not as simple as bringing in a dredge and putting sand back on the beach. Beaches must first be surveyed. Engineers determine how much sand is needed, environmental reviews and permits must be completed, contracts must go out to bid, and dredging companies must be available to do the work.

It is a deliberate process, and sometimes patience is part of protecting the shore.

But New Jersey has an important foundation in place. For more than 30 years, the Jersey Shore Partnership, shore legislators, local leaders, business and tourism interests, and countless supporters have worked together to secure the funding needed to protect our coastline. That sustained advocacy helped establish the Shore Protection Fund as part of New Jersey’s annual state budget.

Why does that matter? Because state funding helps provide the match needed to leverage federal dollars for beach replenishment projects. We do not have to start from zero after every storm. We have a funding framework built through decades of advocacy, bipartisan support, and persistence.

And the investment in our beaches reaches far beyond the shoreline.

Beaches and dunes help protect homes, businesses, roads, utilities, and critical infrastructure. They also support the tourism economy and the quality of life that makes New Jersey’s coastline such a special place to live and visit.

According to the New Jersey Division of Travel & Tourism’s 2025 Economic Impact of Visitors to New Jersey study, visitors generated $51.9 billion in spending and $83.2 billion in total economic impact, supported more than 514,000 jobs, and generated $5.5 billion in state and local tax revenue. New Jersey welcomed 124.2 million visitors in 2025.

These figures underscore what is at stake. Beach replenishment is an investment in our communities, our economy, and the long-term protection of our coastline.

No beach replenishment project can stop every storm or prevent all erosion and flooding. The ocean will always shape our shoreline. Our responsibility is to prepare as well as we can, maintain our commitment to coastal protection, and act when our communities need help.

As we assess the impact of this latest nor’easter, we must also look ahead.

To Governor Sherrill, our congressional delegation, and shore legislators: thank you for your past support. Now, we need you. Several of our shore communities have lost significant portions of their beaches, leaving steep, dangerous escarpments and little or no beach to serve as a protective buffer against future storms. These communities need emergency funding to restore their beaches and protect their residents, businesses, and infrastructure.

Now is the time for us to come together to help our shore communities recover.

The Jersey Shore is too important to our residents, our businesses, and our state’s economy for us to lose momentum. We must continue working together to secure the funding and support our coastline needs.

The storms will keep coming. Our commitment to protecting the Jersey Shore must keep moving forward.

Grace Hanlon is Executive Director of the Jersey Shore Partnership, New Jersey’s leading advocacy organization for beach replenishment and coastal protection. She previously served as Executive Director of the New Jersey Division of Travel & Tourism during Superstorm Sandy and helped lead the state’s Jersey Shore tourism recovery.