COASTAL COMMUNITIES
Threatened by Sea Level Rise, this New Jersey Town Is Taking Matters into Its Own Hands
CIARA NUGENT / TIME – North Wildwood, a picturesque resort town of 5,000 on the Jersey shore, says it is about to lose its war against coastal erosion. Since the 1980s, the Atlantic ocean has washed away some 1,500 ft. of beach that once sat in front of North Wildwood’s boardwalk, with rising sea levels and increasingly violent wind and rain accelerating the process in recent years. Today, just 30 ft. of sand dunes separate buildings from the waves—and months remain in the Nor’easter season. “One good storm is going to wipe this dune out,” says Mayor Patrick Rosenello. “It could be gone in six hours.” …
