![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/p-easterly-bay-village-intersection-696x522.png\" "\\"p-easterly-bay-village-intersection\\"\/")
Photo courtesy Doug Easterly<\/p>\n Photo courtesy Doug Easterly<\/p>\n
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LONG BEACH ISLAND \u2013 The bay spilled across roads and into garages and lower levels of homes. Boats broke loose from their lifts and drifted away without their owners. On the other side of the narrow barrier island, pounding surf carved away sections of dunes.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 For residents who stayed on Long Beach Island through the weekend nor\u2019easter, the storm was measured less by rainfall totals and wind speeds than by what they could see outside their windows. Long Beach Boulevard disappeared beneath several feet of water in some places, vehicles were moved toward the ocean in search of higher ground and kayaks became a way to check on neighbors.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 The flooding became severe enough that authorities closed the Route 72 Causeway for an extended period, temporarily cutting off the island\u2019s only roadway connection to the mainland. Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardy said county officers worked closely with the island\u2019s police chiefs, assisting with traffic, escorts, disabled vehicles and other needs. \u201cEverybody worked in concert, so it was good teamwork,\u201d Mastronardy said.<\/p>\n
A Storm That Wouldn\u2019t Leave<\/p>\n
\u00a0 The length of the storm was a major reason its effects became so pronounced, according to Matthew Janssen, a research assistant professor at Stevens Institute of Technology and assistant director of the New Jersey Coastal Protection Technical Assistance Service.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 Preliminary data indicated storm surge of about three feet, Janssen said. At the same time, the weekend full moon produced tides approximately six inches to a foot higher than normal. Together, the surge and tide pushed water levels roughly four feet above normal high tides. Janssen said the timing of the storm with the full moon contributed to the widespread impacts.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 Duration compounded the problem, Janssen said. During a long nor\u2019easter, each high tide brings more water into the bay before the previous tide has had enough time to drain. \u201cYou can think of it as trying to drain a sink where the drainpipe is already full of water,\u201d Janssen said.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 Based on Stevens\u2019 Storm Erosion Index, Janssen said the event\u2019s duration \u201cranks within the top five storms in LBI since 1980.\u201d Its peak intensity was lower than Sandy, Janssen said, but its prolonged duration ranked just below several notable storms, including the December 1992 nor\u2019easter and Veterans Day storm of 2009.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/p-easterly-Long-Beach-stranded-vehicle-Easterly-768x1024.png\")
Photo courtesy Doug Easterly<\/p>\n
Watching The Boulevard Disappear<\/p>\n
\u00a0 Steve Helewa watched that process unfold from his home on Long Beach Boulevard in Brant Beach. Water began reaching the Boulevard around 9:30 p.m. Friday, he said, and within about an hour the roadway was submerged. It remained underwater at varying depths through much of the weekend.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 At its highest, Helewa estimated water along the curb reached three-and-a-half to four feet. His building escaped interior flooding, although water came within about six inches of the first-floor business entrance. Across the Boulevard, it reached garages and driveways.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 Garbage cans and debris floated past. A commercial dumpster traveled through the neighborhood before coming to rest against the porch at Daddy O, while a kayaker paddled through the flooded streets checking on neighbors and even Helewa\u2019s vehicle, which had been moved toward the ocean.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/p-easterly-TD-Bank-from-Wawa-side.png\")
Photo courtesy Doug Easterly<\/p>\n
Boats Lifted From Their Lifts<\/p>\n
\u00a0 Near 21st Street and Waverly Avenue, Tom DeMartin was at his mother\u2019s house and watched two neighboring boats break loose from lifts during the rising tide. \u201cYou put these boats up on a lift because you don\u2019t ever expect the bay to get that high,\u201d DeMartin said.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 One boat eventually reached Fifth Street Bay Beach, while another became lodged near a marina before being recovered Sunday. At DeMartin\u2019s mother\u2019s home, the garage and lower vestibule flooded, with water reaching the third step leading toward the elevated living area. \u201cWe\u2019re kind of used to flooding on the island, but nothing like this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Cut Off From Mainland<\/p>\n
\u00a0 The Causeway closure added another challenge. Mastronardy said it remained closed for an extended period as authorities dealt with dangerous conditions and motorists becoming stranded. High-water rescue vehicles were available if anyone needed to be evacuated for a medical emergency, although he was unaware of any major evacuations.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 One assist involved a Marine from California who had come to LBI for a wedding. Mastronardy encountered him after he crossed the first bridge on foot trying to reach the celebration. When the sheriff\u2019s vehicle could go no farther because of the flooding, officers in a high-water vehicle got the Marine to the wedding.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 The next day, Mastronardy spotted him again, this time with his sister and a suitcase, trying to return to his car. Sheriff\u2019s officers helped them back across so he could begin his trip home to California.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u201cI hate keeping people from their homes or from leaving, but it\u2019s for their own safety,\u201d Mastronardy said, pointing to the number of motorists who became stuck.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/p-easterly-from-711.png\")
Photo courtesy Doug Easterly<\/p>\n
Water Came Up Fast<\/p>\n
\u00a0 In Beach Haven Terrace, Doug Easterly experienced how quickly conditions changed. Easterly has owned his property near 129th Street and Indiana Avenue since 1999. During Sandy, approximately two feet of water entered the home, which ultimately had to be stripped to the studs.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 This time, Easterly was inside Saturday morning when he looked out around 9 a.m. and saw water suddenly lapping against his front porch. \u201cHoly cow, where did this come from?\u201d he remembered thinking.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 By Sunday, water still surrounded his home. He had moved his car toward the dunes and eventually walked barefoot through receding water to retrieve a pair of galoshes from the vehicle. \u201cMost people, honestly, are hibernating in their houses,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/p-easterly-Wawa-Easterly.png\")
Photo courtesy Doug Easterly<\/p>\n
The Power Of Waves<\/p>\n
\u00a0 Vehicles moving through flooded streets created another concern. Janssen, the researcher, said their wakes can exceed six inches, potentially pushing water into homes and garages already on the verge of flooding.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 While the bay inundated neighborhoods, the ocean was reshaping the other side of the island. Helewa photographed a sharply eroded dune at 41st Street in Brant Beach, saying it appeared that half of it was gone.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 Janssen said elevated water, wave height and duration are the three primary drivers of beach erosion. Wide beaches and large dunes provide considerably greater protection, while dunes behind narrow beaches are more vulnerable. Stevens\u2019 research has found that halving beach width can increase the risk of dune failure fourfold.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/p-helewa-41-st-street.png\")
Severe erosion carved a steep drop into the dune at 41st Street in Brant Beach as the prolonged nor\u2019easter battered Long Beach Island. (Photo courtesy Steve Helewa)<\/p>\n
\u00a0 Despite inevitable comparisons, Janssen cautioned against equating the storm with Sandy. Sandy produced historic peak water levels and wave heights over a comparatively short period. This nor\u2019easter was distinguished by its persistence.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u201cWhile peak water levels and wave heights are lower than Sandy, many residents are dealing with multiple days of flooding rather than a single dramatic peak,\u201d Janssen said. \u201cCumulative effects can be substantial even when peak conditions are lower.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0 For residents, the next stage begins as the water recedes. Janssen said officials will need to document flooding and structural damage, beach and dune erosion, debris and changes to navigation channels to understand the storm\u2019s full impact.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo courtesy Doug Easterly Subscribe to Jersey Shore Online’s EBlast LONG BEACH ISLAND \u2013 The bay spilled across…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":483672,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[131,133,132],"class_list":["post-483671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/483671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=483671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/483671\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/483672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=483671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=483671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=483671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}