building near the coast



I live in a house that's 4 blocks form the ocean and 3 blocks from the bay...it's been here since 1907. Most folks who live near the water are hard-working middle-class people, and a there's a lot of poorer people, too. Most mainlanders don't realize that. There's an understandable perception that everybody who lives close to the coast, and especially on the barrier islands, must be super-rich. We even have a generic animosity directed towards us, now, from certain folks who live just "offshore' on the mainland.
But the real problem is the folks who build lavish multi-million dollar homes on stretches of beachfront, especially those known to be perennially detroyed in major storms, and then start screaming for the Army Corps of Engineers to replenish their beach for their protection, and expect the Federal Government to rebuild for them through the Federal Flood Insurance program in the event of a nor'easter or hurricane. There is one particular stretch of Sea Isle City, a barrier-island resort here in South Jersey, known as Whale Beach (just a narrow low isthmus of about 2-3 miles in length) that's notorious for having its beach washed away and properties demolished during every big nor'easter (and forget about a hurricane!).
Yet, after a few years go by without any really major storm activity, they replenish some of the beach, and presto!, up spring 1 to 2 million dollar beachfront homes, and I mean right near the water. Utter insanity! The realtors don't care, they don't inform these people about the property's history of storm destruction...they just want to close the deal. (Although, now, I think they passed, or are trying to pass, a state law that requires realtors to inform prospective buyers of property hazards) And the people building thes homes are, of course, the Upper Crust 10% or so who have two, three or even four, million-dollar getaway/tax shelter homes, and if a storm destroys it they expect the taxpayers to support their lavish lifestyle and rebuild it for them. This is the kind of stupidity, or indifference, that gives all island and coastal dwellers a bum rap.

And I agree with Bean that, in most places you go, there is a certain danger factor in dealing with nature. Looking back over the tornadic activity in the Southeastern US the past decade, I think I'd rather take my chances having to evacuate for a hurricane every 5 to 10 years or so ('course, that's about the frequency for a major storm to hit the Jersey coast...folks in the Carolinas, for instance, are bailing out just about every year or two, it seems). But, now, that El Nino is back, there should be the usual downswing effect on Atlantic tropical cyclone activity. That doesn't eliminate the potential of one major hurricane nailing the east Coast, though. Nor'easters, however, are a whole differnt thing...like the '62 Storm, you often don't know how bad it's going to be until all the elements are in place and it's already on top of you. You just have to play those by ear.