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South Jersey Prepares For Hermine Ahead Of Labor Day Weekend

by David Madden

VENTNOR, NJ (CBS) -- New Jersey environmental officials teamed up with the Army to announce the start of a dune construction project for Ventnor, Margate and Longport.

But of more immediate concern is this weekend's threatening storm that's likely to put a damper on the all important Labor Day weekend down the shore.

Bob Martin, Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, says the state is as prepared as it can be. "We expect what it's going to look like is a nor'easter coming and parking itself off the coastline of New Jersey for potentially 3 to 4 days," Martin told KYW Newsradio. "That's a long time and that's a lot of churning."

Martin

From a strictly tourism standpoint, this could not come at a worse time. Margate Mayor Michael Becker is being realistic. "Obviously, that's going to take the bottom right out of the weekend. We'll be lucky if we have half the people that would normally be here."

Becker
(Credit: David Madden)

As for the locals, well, they're taking things in stride. "What they're predicting is just some rain, some heavy rain and some wind," said resident Steven Dicht. "I live a couple blocks back. So where I am it really doesn't affect things."

Dicht on left and Bliss on right
(Credit: David Madden)

And then there's neighbor Art Bliss, who lives along the back bays. He wonders why all the attention, and government work, is centered on the ocean side of the island. "I don't want another storm but if you could build a wall there, we'd be ok," he said.

Martin says the state will address the back bay issue at some point.

As for the dune project, bids are going out with work expected to begin over the winter. Margate had fought construction of the dunes, insisting they weren't needed.

The state is constructing a shoreline network of dunes from one end of New Jersey to the other to provide better protection in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.

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