North Wildwood prepares for damaging winds as remnants of Nicole roll through
NORTH WILDWOOD N.J. - The remnants of Hurricane Nicole have made its way north to the Delaware Valley, drenching the area Friday with just about an inch of rain, before slowing down a bit for Friday evening.
Round two could see conditions, especially at the Jersey shore, rapidly deteriorate and potentially turn dangerous.
North Wildwood is keeping an eye on the storm as it moves through overnight.
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"We are preparing for very high winds, gusts up to 50 miles an hour," North Wildwood Mayor Patrick Rosenello said. "Depending on the direction of the wind, it’s going to have a really big impact on what the ocean does."
Drone footage from October shows the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, which battered the coastal town. Rosenello says 100 feet of its dune system and beachfront was swallowed by the angry sea, laving the coast especially vulnerable.
Mary Osler and her husband retired to full-time living in North Wildwood.
"If nature would be a little kinder to us, it would be great," Mary said. "Around 8th to 11th, beaches used to be miles. Walk for miles to get to water and now barely have room, sometimes."
"You think you’re not gonna have any beach and then, next thing they work on it and you get it back, but it costs a lot of money," Mayor Rosenello remarked.
Rosenello says he sent a letter to the N.J. DEP and Governor Murphy requesting an emergency dredge project this winter. He says it’s crucial to protecting the community. "North Wildwood is really the top of the spear, right? It’s where the state of N.J. meets the Atlantic Ocean and we have a need there, we have a need for a project that will provide sustainability at the Jersey shore."