WEBVTT 00:13.440 --> 00:14.440 uh 00:14.440 --> 00:17.750 huh . 00:18.240 --> 00:21.440 As Hurricane Irene traveled up the 00:21.440 --> 00:23.273 United States East Coast causing 00:23.273 --> 00:25.107 estimated billions of dollars in 00:25.107 --> 00:27.218 damages and thousands of residents to 00:27.218 --> 00:29.218 flee from their homes . The U . S . 00:29.218 --> 00:31.273 Army Corps of Engineers stood at the 00:31.273 --> 00:33.107 ready and kept a watchful eye on 00:33.107 --> 00:35.162 several New Jersey coastal shoreline 00:35.162 --> 00:37.162 protection projects as this was the 00:37.162 --> 00:39.384 first hurricane to make landfall in New 00:39.384 --> 00:41.750 Jersey since 19 oh three . Immediately 00:41.750 --> 00:43.917 after Hurricane Irene slammed into the 00:43.917 --> 00:45.972 Long Beach Island . Project managers 00:45.972 --> 00:47.972 and engineers from the course north 00:47.972 --> 00:49.750 atlantic divisions philadelphia 00:49.750 --> 00:51.694 district deployed to the island to 00:51.694 --> 00:53.917 assess the project . We're only several 00:53.917 --> 00:56.139 days after Hurricane Irene came through 00:56.340 --> 00:59.270 and hurricane the high tide and the 00:59.270 --> 01:01.270 waves came right to the dune that's 01:01.270 --> 01:04.490 behind me and added more to the erosion 01:04.490 --> 01:06.601 that's naturally occurring here every 01:06.601 --> 01:08.712 year from the Northeaster storms that 01:08.712 --> 01:10.879 come into New Jersey . The dune is the 01:10.879 --> 01:12.900 last line of protection between the 01:12.900 --> 01:15.550 atlantic ocean and all the homes that 01:15.550 --> 01:17.920 are built along this island because of 01:17.920 --> 01:20.142 the partnership between the State Court 01:20.142 --> 01:22.087 Engineers and the Bureau of Harvey 01:22.087 --> 01:24.087 cedars . The island here was spared 01:24.087 --> 01:26.253 from a great disaster . We worked very 01:26.253 --> 01:28.309 well with the core and actually with 01:28.309 --> 01:30.531 the state , we really built a very good 01:30.531 --> 01:34.150 team together to to put this project 01:34.150 --> 01:36.261 together went very very smoothly . Uh 01:36.261 --> 01:38.428 We work together . They helped us with 01:38.428 --> 01:40.206 some of the things that weren't 01:40.206 --> 01:42.317 specifically right in a bid that were 01:42.317 --> 01:44.483 there to work it out so that we try to 01:44.483 --> 01:46.706 keep some of our residents happy , some 01:46.706 --> 01:48.761 of the details as the product as the 01:48.761 --> 01:50.817 project developed , which was really 01:50.817 --> 01:50.810 very helpful to us as an elected 01:50.810 --> 01:52.921 official to be able to deal with some 01:52.921 --> 01:54.921 of the concerns that are , that are 01:54.921 --> 01:56.588 homeowners had as the project 01:56.588 --> 01:58.643 development . We were very , we were 01:58.643 --> 02:00.977 very happy with that team that we built . 02:00.977 --> 02:02.977 It's a really put together a really 02:02.977 --> 02:02.940 good product . Overall initial 02:02.940 --> 02:05.162 assessments proved that the engineering 02:05.162 --> 02:07.384 and design of these protection projects 02:07.384 --> 02:09.607 played a significant role in preventing 02:09.607 --> 02:11.773 extensive flooding and damages to most 02:11.773 --> 02:14.050 of Long Beach island standing here 02:14.060 --> 02:17.970 quite nicely at elevation 22 on a 02:17.970 --> 02:20.360 newly constructed dune in harvey cedars . 02:21.240 --> 02:23.129 The Corps of Engineers began this 02:23.129 --> 02:26.240 project in the fall of 2009 And 02:26.240 --> 02:29.810 completed in the spring of 2010 . We 02:29.810 --> 02:32.160 successfully moved three million yards 02:32.160 --> 02:35.850 of clean fill on this island . And 02:35.850 --> 02:37.961 as we stand here today we can see the 02:37.961 --> 02:40.270 after effects of Hurricane Irene were 02:40.280 --> 02:44.160 very minimal uh high tide 02:44.160 --> 02:46.049 and waves from the hurricane just 02:46.049 --> 02:48.160 barely breached the toe of the dune . 02:48.160 --> 02:50.049 So today we have a safe operating 02:50.049 --> 02:53.360 operating beach , fully functional and 02:53.360 --> 02:56.200 we have very secure structures that are 02:56.200 --> 03:00.090 protected by the dune and the goal of 03:00.090 --> 03:02.201 the Corps of Engineers is to complete 03:02.201 --> 03:04.650 the entire island to this quality and 03:04.650 --> 03:07.600 this level of protection . Well , our 03:07.600 --> 03:09.822 town did very well with the hurricane . 03:09.822 --> 03:12.044 We were very , very fortunate uh before 03:12.044 --> 03:14.211 we put the project in here , we were , 03:14.211 --> 03:16.433 we were very desperate for protection . 03:16.433 --> 03:18.378 There was no dune , left ocean was 03:18.378 --> 03:20.433 right up to the edge of the houses . 03:20.433 --> 03:23.300 And so so with this , uh , when this 03:23.300 --> 03:25.660 project came online , I was excited 03:25.660 --> 03:27.771 about it . I've been passionate about 03:27.771 --> 03:29.771 it . I've been working for it for a 03:29.771 --> 03:31.882 long time . And so when the hurricane 03:31.882 --> 03:34.049 came , I was worried about the winds , 03:34.049 --> 03:33.190 but I wasn't worried about the ocean . 03:33.580 --> 03:35.469 At a brief cleanup and removal of 03:35.469 --> 03:37.690 debris , residents and visitors were 03:37.700 --> 03:40.260 able to return to the beach and enjoy 03:40.260 --> 03:42.460 the last weekend of summer . Reporting 03:42.460 --> 03:44.770 from harvey cedars uses public affairs 03:45.070 --> 03:46.020 for several .